Totally Knights: Fashion Victims
by Kamen Rider Chrome
Summary: My first Totally Spies fic and another prequel. The Spies work together with three of Smart Brain Corporation's best Operatives when famous fashion designers are being kidnapped. Things heat up between the two teams. SamOC, CloverOC, AlexOC.
1. Prologue: Test

Smart Brain Corporation-Los Angeles. It was a large and imposing structure, the building itself as well as the large emblem which decorated its doors. This was but one of the many branches of one of the most lucrative companies in the world. It developed products for the common man and their quality was top notch. With their products in high demand the company made a lot of profits and with the many branches it had all across the world, it was making trillions, possibly even more.

A dark figure could be seen scaling the outer wall of the building. It was able to avoid detection from the surveillance cameras as well as the security guards posted around the perimeter. The dark figure was after something in particular since it stopped at a certain floor in the building. Somehow, as if by magic, his entire body phased right through the window. He had no need to break it open if he could do that.

He was in a chemistry lab where various dangerous compounds and chemicals were kept for further study and experimentation. He was after one chemical in particular. It was an unstable yet highly flexible chemical known as Xinothium.

He scanned the area, his night vision perfect as he attempted to locate his target. He then found a container with an access panel. He keyed in the access code and the container released steam. The latches snapped open as the lid was removed. He then lifted up a cylinder that had vials filled with a red substance locked into place around its perimeter.

"Excellent," he said to himself before removing the vials and putting them on a belt he wore around his waist. A glowing red 'X' could be seen on the buckle. As he turned to leave, a bright light was shone on him.

"Not so fast!" said a female voice.

"You're going down!" spoke another female voice.

"Like totally! And you're not just under arrest for theft but also committing crimes against fashion. Didn't you know red is the new black these days?"

The dark figure focused his eyes on them. They were 3 girls, tall and thin with feminine curves and radiated a lot of attitude. The one in the centre had green eyes and long red hair that came down to the middle of her back. She was clad in a tight green cat suit that showed off her curves and a belt with a heart shaped belt buckle. Her boots, which was part of the suit, had sharp high heels. One of her companions, who was on the right, was dressed similarly except in red and her hair was a stylized blonde, reminiscent of Farah Fawcett. She also had blue eyes. The final girl who was standing to the left of the redhead had short black hair, tanned skin and brown eyes.

They were the Spies, WOOHP's finest.

The dark figure then revealed himself. He wore a black bodysuit with a red 'X' on his chest and matching gloves and boots. He wore a black cape with tattered ends and red lining. He also had on a skull mask with a red 'X' on it as well.

"I don't know, I kinda like my look," the thief said. He looked behind the girls to see that they had cut a hole in the window. They must've been following him and he hadn't detected them. They were stealthy. "I'm impressed you girls could follow me without me hearing you. Wait, isn't this the third time you tried to get the drop on me?"

"Well, they do say third time's the charm," the yellow clad brunette, Alex, remarked.

"Drop the Xinothium and nobody gets hurt," the red clad blonde, Clover, ordered.

"Um, Clover," the redhead in green, Sam, began, "That's Xinothium. If he drops it, we're all dead." Sam remembered what Jerry had told them about the Xinothium. 2 Smart Brain Corporations, one in China and another one in England had theirs stolen before and they hadn't been able to catch the thief who was now in front of them.

Clover realized her error and decided to correct herself. "OK, hand it over and nobody gets hurt!"

"Tempting offer, cutie, but you see I really need this stuff," the thief, Red-X, said. He removed one vial from his belt, "But if you want it so much, you can have it." He then tossed it at them, "Catch!" The vial went flying through the air as the Spies panicked.

"Don't let it drop!" Sam shouted.

"It's coming my way!" Clover exclaimed.

"I got it! I got it!" Alex yelled as the vial started falling. She then caught it, barely. "Hah, got it!"

"Well, girls," Red-X said from behind them, standing at the hole in the glass. "Nice catch, but now you gotta catch me!" He then jumped and waved, "See ya!" He started floating before flying off.

"After him!" Sam shouted, activating her jetpack-backpack. Alex and Clover followed as the three of them flew out of the building and after the thief.

Red-X flew through the air and looked over his shoulder to see the girls chasing after him. "Well, well, they don't give up. Impressive." He then frowned under his mask. "But, let's see them handle _this_!" He then vanished from sight.

Alex gasped, "Hey, where'd he go!" She then felt something tap her shoulder and looked. "Huh?"

"This is your stop," Red-X said before placing one of his X's on her jetpack. Her jetpack began to short circuit before she began to scream, falling towards the ground.

"Alex!" Sam yelled as she went after her falling friend, "Clover, stay on his tail!"

"Gladly!" Clover grinned as she gave chase.

"Two down and one to go," Red-X remarked idly, producing another one of his X's. "Think fast, blondie!" He shouted as he turned around and threw his X-Shurikens at her. Clover demonstrated incredible aero-acrobatics, dodging the blades coming her way. Red-X whistled, "Nice."

"Thanks but now it's my turn!" Clover shouted as she picked up speed. She threw a fist at him but he grabbed it before putting his face close to hers.

"Sorry, but this flights is only for one!" He then threw her away but she gave chase in the air again. "I need to lose her! She's persistent!" He suddenly got an idea and then vanished from her sight.

"Hey! Where are you?" Clover gasped before Red-X shimmered into view in the corner of her eye. She then saw a flash of red before she was slammed into the side of the building. She had been pinned by a large red 'X'. "Hey, lemme go!" she struggled. "Get this thing off me!" She was silenced however when a red X-Tape glued her mouth shut and then another tape pinned her head to the building. She screamed but it was muffled.

"Looks like its home free for me," Red-X said.

"Not a chance!" Sam screamed as she tackled Red-X onto the roof of a building. They tumbled on the surface before righting themselves.

"You girls just don't give up, do you?" Red-X said as he gripped his fists. The Xinothium was still safe, thankfully.

"Of course we don't!" Sam said. "We're Super Spies!" She then charged and threw a fist at Red-X who ducked and then retaliated with a knee to her midsection. She, however, leapt over the strike and landed behind him.

"Nice moves," Red-X remarked before the X-Blades extended from his gloves. "Now to take it up a notch!" He then charged and swung his fists at her. Sam had to dodge from the blades attached to his gloves before she could hit him in the gut with a well-aimed punch. The thief staggered but looked up to see a green boot smash into his masked face, knocking him down. He flipped back to his feet and cracked his neck. "OK, I like your style, Red."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Sam said, "Now, give up! There's no getting away!"

"I actually beg to differ, Red," Red-X shook his finger. His shadow suddenly expanded and then 10 Red-X's, 5 flanking each side, suddenly rose up, "You have to find me first!" all 11 of them spoke in unison. Sam stepped back in shock. "What? Surprised? See ya!" The real Red-X vanished leaving Sam alone to fight his 10 clones.

* * *

The Spies returned to WOOHP headquarters, headed for Jerry's office. Clover was picking the remains of the X-Tape in her hair. The tape on her mouth had been removed and it still stung. The red marks left behind were testament to that.

"Oh, when I get that Red-X, I'm gonna-!" Clover scowled angrily. "He ruined my hair!"

"Jerry isn't gonna like this," Alex frowned.

"Like it or not, we have to tell him," Sam sighed. She pushed open the door and then her eyes widened in shock. Her two friends followed suit.

"YOU!" the Spies shrieked. Standing next to Jerry who was sitting at his desk was Red-X!

"Hey, girls!" Red-X waved and the girls began to charge at him when Jerry stood up.

"Girls, wait!" Jerry shouted, "Calm down!" The girls stopped their mad dash. It didn't stop them from sending dirty glares at the black-clad thief though.

"Calm down? Calm down?" Clover screeched. "He ruined my hair! He has to pay!"

"Plus, what is he doing here, Jerry? He's a criminal!" Sam demanded to know. This was not like their boss at all.

Red-X sighed and said, "Mr. Lewis, would you care to explain?"

Jerry nodded, "Certainly, and I told you to call me Jerry."

"Old habits die hard, Mr. Lewis, I mean, Jerry," Red-X said.

Jerry sighed before turning to the girls, "Now, girls, I know you must be wondering what's going on here and why Red-X is in my office."

"That and why you're so chummy," Alex added. Fierce nods were added by her friends.

"Well, you see, there's actually a really good explanation," Jerry said, pulling at his collar. The glares he was getting were really bothering him. These girls really knew how to lay on the death glare. "I was actually asked by Red-X if he could test you."

"Test us?" Alex asked, confused, "What do you mean?"

"Explain, Jerry," Sam said.

"And make it good," Clover spoke, glaring angrily at Red-X.

"Maybe it's better if you take off your mask," Jerry said to Red-X.

"Fine," Red-X said before he pulled off his mask. The girls watched as the mask was removed to reveal the face of a handsome Japanese youth, about the same age as them, with pale skin, black shoulder length hair and ice blue eyes. He looked at them to see them gazing at him before they shook themselves out of it. He internally sighed. Even if they were professionals, they were still teenage girls. "My name is Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa."

Sam recovered first before crying out, "Jerry, he's a thief! Why are you even working with him?"

"Oh, is this about the Xinothium?" Ichijyo said. His voice sounded different without the mask and he had a British accent. "Well, if you want to know, Smart Brain is my company. Actually, it's my family's company so it can't be called stealing."

"Ichijyo's father and I are old friends," Jerry said. "When I got his call I was surprised."

"The thing is, girls," Ichijyo said, "I wanted to test 3 of WOOHP's best agents to see how they rank up, for future engagements." He explained, "The test was for you to try and catch me and you were all given 3 chances...which you failed!"

"They couldn't have failed that badly," Jerry said.

"I have Operatives a lot better than them," Ichijyo countered. "These girls, I'm surprised that they're even spies to begin with. They look like preps." He narrowed his eyes, "I **hate** preps."

"What's your damage?" Alex frowned.

"And, who's going to pay for this?" Clover pointed at her hair.

"Relax, it will dissolve in a few hours. By the time you wake up it'll be all gone," Ichijyo said. He then continued, "If you're the best WOOHP has to offer, I'd hate to see the worst."

"Listen, mister," Sam stepped over to glare at Ichijyo. "We are WOOHP's best. We've faced a lot of super villains and saved the world so many times that you can't even count. So don't call us failures! We've done a lot of good."

"Then prove it," Ichijyo said, "And you didn't all fail, not exactly. You were able to track me down and caught me off guard. I'm actually impressed by your skills."

Sam was taken aback by his change of attitude, "R-Really?" She was blushing a bit. He was handsome after all. He may have said some cold things, but he was serious about this, just like her.

"Jerry," Ichijyo said. "You might be getting a call from me soon, just incase I need these girls' help. See you later." He nodded once and teleported away, leaving the girls and Jerry alone.

"Did anyone else think he was a total hottie?" Sam asked out of the blue.

"Sam, that guy was like a total jerk!" Clover fumed. "And I wanted him to fix my hair!"

"So are we going to have to work for him?" asked Alex with some amount of confusion.

"No, you are still agents of WOOHP," Jerry answered. "However, Smart Brain has its own agents for our line of work and we have worked together at times in the past."

"Okay," Sam frowned. "I get that, but what about Ichijyo himself?"

"Like I said before," Jerry explained. "His father and I are friends. Ichijyo himself is the heir to the Smart Brain Corporation and has been trained for that for some time. Please, don't be too hard on him. His role demands excellence from himself and everyone in his employ."

"I still think he's a jerk," Clover frowned with a huff.

"Well," Alex spoke, brightening up. "If he thinks we're good then we must be good! Right?"

"Maybe," Sam frowned. "But it also means we have room to improve."

She idly wondered f she should try to get Ichijyo's attention for next time they met. She did like mature guys and being intelligent enough to run an international company was definitely a plus in her book.

* * *

Ichijyo reappeared in his office before dropping down on his comfortable chair. In front of him, on his rather expensive desk, were two sets of files. The first set of files contained detailed information on the Spies' lives, both private and professional. The second set contained detailed information of three of **his** Operatives' personal and professional lives as well.

He smirked as he looked both files over and said, "This might be a rather interesting alliance indeed." His father had worked with WOOHP several times in the past as well with some other secret organizations. As the heir, he would do the same.

The time would soon come when his own team of Operatives would work with WOOHP's finest. He just hoped the girls, by then, had improved to his standards.


	2. Chapter 1: Meeting

Beverly Hills Mall-2 Months Later…

It had been two months since the Spies' encounter with Red-X/Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa. His words had affected them, making them train themselves better. Sam was affected the most and without her friends knowing had been collecting news paper articles of the young CEO. She had developed a crush on him. Clover was less than thrilled with what he'd said to them but she knew he was right. She was still a bit miffed that he 'd ruined her hair but as he'd promised the tape had vanished the next day. She'd feared a 'Bad Hair Day'. Alex was waiting for the time when she'd be working with Smart Brain's Operatives. She hoped she was ready.

The girls were sitting at a table, enjoying some smoothies after a hard day's shopping. Clover, as always, had the biggest load since she wanted to update her wardrobe. Alex and Sam loved to shop too but not to Clover's extremes.

When they had passed by a computer shop, Sam had stopped to gaze at a laptop manufactured by Smart Brain Corporation. The laptop made her think of her new crush, Ichijyo, as she wondered what he was currently doing. Clover and Alex had to drag her away.

Though all three girls had to admit that Ichijyo was cute, Clover hated him for being a cold and obnoxious jerk. She just wished some hot guys would walk through the doors.

Ask, and thou shall receive.

The doors of the mall slid open as three new faces walked in. They were all Japanese but also very unique.

The tallest, and possibly oldest, boy had short black hair and haunting black eyes that made you want to look deep into them forever. He wore a white turtleneck with a matching blue blazer and slacks along with a pair of black leather shoes. On his left was someone a little shorter but his spiked up brown hair made him stand tall and stand out. He wore a navy denim jacket over a black shirt that had a blue dog emblem, blue jeans and brown leather boots. He also had the nicest looking blue eyes. The third one had a unique fashion sense. He was dressed in a black sleeveless shirt with a red dragon on it with red pants and black boots with buckles on them. Around his wrists were studded bracelets and around his neck a leather studded collar. He also wore a pair of red tinted goggles on his head. His messy hair was a fiery red color with two bangs sticking out. It reached down to his waist and was braided. His eyes were also the color of emeralds and shone like the jewels.

As Clover watched them pass by, she had to fan herself, "Woah, major hottie alert. It's high time we saw some new blood around here."

Sam tapped her chin. She had seen them before but was not sure. They looked very familiar.

The redhead was cute, in Alex's opinion, and had a great taste in fashion. It was like a combination of punk and Goth. She dug guys who were unique and had great tastein fashion. He looked a little depressed though.

The three boys, as regular as they looked, were secretly Smart Brain Operatives Yoshiyuki Takada, Ryuki Leonard Hasuma, and Tazuka Mizuki. They were each skilled in different ways. Takada was a master with technology, Tazuka had his precognitive abilities, and Ryuki was a powerful martial artist. No one could tell that just by looking at them though.

The boys were walking through the mall just hanging out and talking. Their boss had told them to be there but he didn't give them much more specifics than that. Takada seemed to be in high spirits while Tazuka was more concerned for Ryuki, who looked downright depressed.

"Hey, cheer up, Ryuki!" Takada smiled. "We're on the job and we'll get her back in no time."

"Hai, Takada-san," Ryuki nodded.

Tazuka sighed. Of all the times for Emiko to get herself kidnapped without a trace, it had to be now. They had gotten back from Canada a couple of weeks ago after Ryuki lost a relationship with a girl that he really liked. They had to erase her memory of him.

"Will you be okay, otouto?" Tazuka asked with some concern.

"I will be once we get okaasan back," Ryuki sighed. "I just wish I actually did something."

"Ryuki," Takada sighed. "We will get her back. That's a promise. Those freaks that took her have no clue on the world of hurt they're in for," Takada said this confidently.

Ryuki chuckled slightly at the joke Takada made. His mother had been missing for some time and was now officially considered kidnapped. Ryuki felt incredibly guilty at not doing anything, despite the fact that he had been fighting a Mirror Monster when it happened. Ichijyo had almost taken a personal interest in this case. Ryuki wouldn't have gone, but they were stretched out in terms of agents so he didn't have much choice.

As the boys were walking past some shops, they didn't know that they were being eyed by several young ladies. Three of them were currently hiding behind one of the pillars which decorated the mall.

"Okay," Clover smiled giddily. "I see three hotties and I know there's three of us. Girls, I think we may have just found our dates to the Autumn Ball!"

"Oooh!" Alex giggled. "Talk about luck! I want to go with the redhead."

"Okay," Clover nodded. "Sam, do you want the college student or the one with the blue jacket?"

"I can't believe you're just lining them up like hunks of meat!" Sam hissed.

"I am not!" Clover insisted. "I am just attracted to them. I was just making sure I wasn't stepping on anyone's toes when we go talk to them."

"Oh yeah?" Sam spoke with some disbelief in her voice. She then pointed towards the boys. "Looks like Mandy and her cronies are trying to get the first bite."

"WHAT!" Clover cried as she turned to look at the boys again.

Mandy, along with her friends Caitlin and Dominique, had approached the three boys with looks of lust on them. Tazuka narrowed her eyes as Ryuki looked slightly uncomfortable. Takada, however, being the womanizer that he was, was actually talking to her.

"So, haven't seen you boys here before," Mandy smiled. "You new around here?"

"We just dropped by to see the sights," Takada said, starting to look a little uncomfortable but was trying to stay polite and failing. "These are my friends, Tazuka and Ryuki."

"Call me Leo," Ryuki said. He was wishing he was someplace else at the moment. A Mirror Monster would be better company than these girls.

"Well, I'm Mandy, and these are Caitlin and Dominique," Mandy introduced as the two girls behind her waved.

Hearing the name of an ex-girlfriend belonging to another girl caused Ryuki to grow even more depressed. Plus, this Caitlin didn't seem like the one he'd dated. She just didn't feel right to him. The Caitlin he'd dated before was sweet and gentle. This Caitlin, however, was, well...she felt rotten to him.

"So, you want us to show you around?" Mandy asked.

"Well, you see…" Takada said, eyes looking for an escape route. "Hey, is that a 50 percent off sale?" He pointed behind the trio of girls. They turned and then the boys decided to run away fast while they weren't looking.

When the three boys were far enough, they stopped. Tazuka wondered and asked, "Why the urge to run, Takada? I thought you'd try to get their phone numbers." This didn't seem like Takada to just run away from a pretty face.

Takada answered and pointed to his ear, "That girl's voice! It was annoying! It was like nails on a chalkboard!" He had sharp hearing and it had turn on him. "That has got to be the hottest bunch of girls I've ever hated!" Tazuka shook his head. Takada was so shallow sometimes.

"Well, I hope we lost them," Ryuki said. "They won't be too happy if they find us again."

"That is what I'm afraid of," Takada said. "Let's bail."

"Hey there!" a cheery voice suddenly spoke up.

The boys turned around to be faced a cheerful looking blonde. The boys weren't sure what to make of her sudden appearance, but at least her voice wasn't like nails on a chalkboard.

"Can we help you?" asked Tazuka.

"Well, it's just my friends and I noticed you guys running off pretty fast," the blonde answered. "I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a serious problem."

"Oh," Takada smiled. This girl was scoring points already. "It's no reason you'd be interested in. We're fine though."

"Well that's good," the blonde nodded. "By the way, my name's Clover."

Takada didn't feel any bad vibes coming off Clover like he did with those other girls. Knowing this, he went for a one-on-one conversation, "Pleasure to meet you, Clover. Name's Yoshiyuki Takada."

"Nice to meet you, Yoshiyuki," Clover smiled. She was turning up the charm now. Any guy that didn't like Mandy was okay in her book. "I don't think I've seen you around the mall before."

"Call me Takada," the Dog Knight smiled. "Well, we are just visiting. Tourist thing and all that."

"Well you certainly came to the right place," Clover giggled. "I know this place like the back of my hand."

As Clover and Takada flirted back and forth, Tazuka and Ryuki watched them go with neutral gazes.

"She's good," Tazuka nodded. "I don't think I've seen Takada flirt so easily before."

"I have," Ryuki chuckled. "At my okasaan's last fashion show when he met some of the models."

"You'd think he'd introduce us, though," Tazuka smiled.

"Hey, Clover!" a new voice called out.

Everyone turned to see who had called and saw two new girls running towards them. One had long red hair while the other one had darker skin and short black hair.

"So this is what happened to you," the redhead frowned. "Never seen you run that fast before."

"Yeah!" the other girl nodded. "I mean, it was like you were there and then you weren't!"

Clover laughed slightly. "I guess I was in a little bit of a hurry."

Takada looked over Clover's shoulder and took in the appearance of the two girls. Definite lookers and seemed to be very nice. If things didn't work out with Clover then he might be able to try a date with one of her friends.

"Friends of yours?" he asked.

"Yeah," Clover nodded. "These are my best friends, Sam and Alex."

"Nice to meet you," Sam nodded. "Nice to see some new faces for a change."

"Hi," Alex chirped happily, "Always happy to meet someone new. So who are your new friends, Clover?"

"Well," Clover smiled. "Girls, this is Yoshiyuki Takada. Uh…I haven't gotten his friends' names yet."

"I am Tazuka Mizuki," Tazuka spoke up. He then nodded to Ryuki. "This is our friend Ryuki."

"Call me Leo," Ryuki added. "All my friends do."

"Charmed," Sam smiled. "So we were near when Mandy and her friends talked to you. Out of towners, right?"

"That's us," Ryuki nodded. "We're just here on vacation and decided that this place was a good spot to see."

"Well you sure picked a nice spot," Alex smiled. "We'd be glad to show you around if you'd like."

"How generous of you," Tazuka smiled. "We'll just have to do something nice for you in return."

"Oh…we couldn't ask for anything," Sam tried to answer. She wasn't sure how, but Tazuka had a mysterious aura around him. He was definitely the eldest and his maturity was a plus in her book. She did like mature, educated and intellectual men. "You know, they have this really nice garden around here. Maybe we can sit there to get to know each other better."

"We'd be delighted, won't we, guys?" Tazuka asked his two companions. Takada nodded enthusiastically while Ryuki shrugged.

"Sure!" Takada grinned.

"I guess," Ryuki said, trying to smile but failing. Alex seemed to notice this a little.

Setting themselves on a rather large bench, the girls and boys started to get to know one another. Sam was striking up a conversation with Tazuka while Takada and Clover were flirting with each other. Ryuki was talking with Alex.

"So, you're a fortune-teller?" Sam asked, skeptical of Tazuka's claim.

"Of course," Tazuka replied. "Don't you believe me?" He loved proving people wrong and maybe he could impress this girl. She seemed nice enough.

"Well, let's just say I don't believe in that kind of stuff," Sam said.

"Of course," Tazuka nodded. "I can't force you to believe me but let's just say I see you having a lot of good luck in the future."

"Thanks," Sam smiled.

"And you're going to get an A-Plus on your previous Biology quiz," he said, suddenly, much to her surprise. "You'll see. Sides, you're a smart girl. I don't need to predict your test results."

"Thanks," Sam blushed a little.

"So, what do you do for fun? Clover asked.

"Oh, I like to build things," Takada replied. "I'm pretty handy with tools," he claimed. This was not a fake claim. He was handy and could build but the consequences were not exactly what you'd call pleasant. "I have this car I've been tricking out back home. When I'm done it's going to be the fastest thing on 4 wheels."

"Ooh, I'd love a ride!" Clover said, smiling seductively.

"I'd be glad to give you one," Takada smiled back. So far, so good and soon he would score with another hot chick. Plus, she was blonde. Everyone knows blondes had more fun!

"Any hobbies?" Alex asked Ryuki who seemed to be far away in thought. He took notice of her question, though.

"I like sports, and martial arts," Ryuki replied.

"Martial arts?" Alex asked, "What kind?"

"Oh, my family's own unique style. My grandfather runs a dojo," Ryuki answered. "You interested?"

"Um…" Alex bit her lips. Usually guys were a bit intimidated by strong women and she didn't want to scare Ryuki off. She was nice, and cute, but seemed upset about something. She hoped she could cheer him up. "Well, I guess. OK, as for sports, what do you play?"

"Soccer, basketball, baseball," Ryuki listed. "I think I like team sports better. Oh, and I also like motocross."

"Motocross, huh?" Alex mused. "Never tried that before."

"Oh, it's really exhilarating!" Ryuki perked up. "The speed, jumping over obstacles and the rush all feel just great. Your heart is pumping and all you can think of is the adrenaline rush!"

"Wow!" Alex was impressed plus Ryuki sounded genuine.

"So, anyway, we have this Autumn Ball at school and we were hoping that-" Clover began but was suddenly cut off when something out of the ordinary happened.

The garden behind them started making sounds of scraping metal. The group looked to the garden behind them and saw that it was opening to reveal a long metal tunnel which there didn't seem to have an end. The girls knew instantly what this meant, but what they didn't notice was that the boys were calm in the face of the sudden weirdness.

The bench they were sitting on suddenly bucked and dumped the six teens into the long tunnel, leaving them to slide down the seemingly endless tunnel.

"WOOOOOOAAHHHH!" the girls screamed as they fell. As many times as they went through it, they would never get used to it.

"This is awesome!" Takada cried as he fell.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Tazuka laughed.

"Sugoooiiiiii!" Ryuki called as he fell.

The ride was amazingly fast and it didn't seem to be ending anytime soon. However, as quickly as it began, the ride ended as the six teens hit a padded metal wall before tumbling out onto a metal floor.

"Ugh," Takada groaned. "Well that was fun until the end."

"I feel more at home already," Tazuka chuckled, remembering some of the secret ways to get around Smart Brain.

Ryuki managed to get up quickly enough. He looked around and found that they were in some kind of advanced facility. He looked directly behind him and saw the giant word WOOHP. They had apparently tumbled through one of the two 'O's.

Sam, Alex, and Clover were still groaning from the sudden impact. They all opened their eyes at the same time before seeing a pair of polished shoes in front of them that connected to their boss, Jerry.

"Hello, girls," he smiled. "Glad you could make it."

"Jerry!" Sam snapped as she stood up, barreling her friends over. "You just revealed our secret to three civilians!"

"I did?" Jerry blinked. He looked over to the boys. "I don't see any civilians."

"What do you mean?" asked Alex. She pointed to the three boys "Those boys right there!"

"I'd hardly call them civilians, girls," Jerry smiled. He walked over to the boys and nodded to them. "Mr. Hasuma, Mr. Takada, and Mr. Mizuki, welcome to WOOHP."

"Charmed," Tazuka nodded. "Interesting retrieval system you have here, Mr. Lewis. We have one like it back home."

"Oh, please," Jerry smiled. "Everyone calls me Jerry."

Meanwhile, the girls were now very confused at how friendly Jerry was being with the boys. They had no idea what was going on and it seemed that they were out of the loop once again.

"Jerry?" asked Clover. "What is going on? How do you know these guys?"

"Oh, yes," Jerry nodded. "Excuse me. These boys are going to go with you on your next mission."

"They are?" asked Alex. She then smiled. "Well that won't be so bad."

"Apparently we are," Tazuka nodded. He eyed the girls for a moment. "So you three are the Spies of WOOHP that we were told about. What a stroke of luck."

"Ichijyo sends his regards," Ryuki smiled, "both to you girls and Jerry-san."

"ICHIJYO!" Clover snapped. "You mean that jerk who dressed up as Red-X a while ago?"

"So you've met him," Takada chuckled. "You think he's a jerk too?"

"Totally!" Clover frowned. "He almost ruined my hair with those big X's he was throwing around!"

"Well, Snakeface grinds our nerves, but he signs our paychecks so I for one don't complain, much," Takada shrugged. Ichijyo was currently on another separate assignment. It involved a place called the "Centre".

"Ahem," Jerry coughed as he caught everyone's attention. "Well, it seems that you all are already well acquainted with each other. A reintroduction seems to be in order, though. Girls, I wish for you to meet Smart Brain Corporation's Special Ops team, the Masked Riders."

The girls were understandable shocked. Who they once took for some cute boys were in truth some kind of Special Ops team. The team name was cool too but why 'Masked Riders'?

"We start with Yoshiyuki Takada, otherwise known as Pluto," Jerry continued. He then gestured to Tazuka. "Next we have Tazuka Mizuki A.K.A. Jawz. Finally we have Ryuki Leonard Hasuma, A.K.A. Draco."

"Um, why do they have those codenames?" asked Sam.

"Oh, you'll find out," Jerry smiled mysteriously. His face then turned all business. "Now, please come along. We have to get you briefed."

The six teens followed Jerry as he went to his office where the briefing would take place. As they were walking, the girls were having their own thoughts. Sam was considering her personal surprise in finding out that Tazuka was some kind of secret agent like her. Clover figured it made sense considering how good-looking the guys were. Alex just thought it was cool that Ryuki was a spy like her.

They all entered Jerry's office as the man himself took a seat at his desk.

"All right," Jerry nodded as he pressed a button on his desk. A holographic screen lit up in the air. It was depicting several people, one of which Ryuki recognized as his own mother. "Over the past several weeks, numerous fashion designers have gone missing without a trace. Considering the security that these people had on them when they vanished we can only assume that this was professional work. This is where you girls come in."

"But where does Smart Brain come into all this?" asked Sam.

"Good question," Jerry nodded. "Smart Brain has a connection with one of these people and decided to handle the case personally. This is a joint effort between WOOHP and Smart Brain. I hope that you six can get along."

"Definitely!" Alex and Clover smiled. Thoughts of hanging out with Ryuki and Takada sprang into their heads.

"You can count on us, Jerry," Sam nodded.

"I think we can get along pretty well," Tazuka smiled.

"Good," Jerry nodded. He then pressed a button on his desk. "And now, here are your gadgets." A panel on Jerry's desk slid open and a tray with gadgets was revealed. Takada whistled.

"By the way, Jerry," Alex asked. "Where's GLADIS? Usually she's the one passing out our gadgets."

"Oh, GLADIS right now is back in the lab getting a few new upgrades. You'll see her when you get back." Jerry was glad to be rid of GLADIS for awhile. That blasted machine was just so annoying, under minding him and such. "So, anyway, let's get down to business. Your gadgets are: Earring Microphone Communicators, Head-For-Cover Hover Boards, Cat Fight Gloves, M-Ray Contact Lenses, Heat Sensor Motion Detector Sunglasses, GPS Hairclip and finally the R.A.T.V.A.T."

"What's the R.A.T.V.A.T., Jerry-san?" Ryuki asked curiously, mirroring the girls when they once heard of it.

"It stands for Rugged All-Terrain Vehicle and Tunneler," Jerry explained as the image of the vehicle appeared on the screen behind him with all the specs and details.

"Oh, nice," Takada grinned. He couldn't wait to drive it.

"Wait, what about them?" Sam asked, referring to the boys. "Don't they have gadgets?"

"Oh, we do," Takada said. "You just have to wait and see what we can really do on a mission."

"You'd be surprised," Ryuki nodded in agreement.

Tazuka could actually predict the look on the Spies' faces once they see the Riders' secret and in action.

"So, where will we start investigating?" Sam asked.

"At the last victim's residence," Jerry said, "Tokyo, Japan."

"Looks like we're starting at home," Takada said. "Might find some clues."

"Hai, we might," Ryuki nodded, eyes sad.

* * *

Tokyo, Japan…

The six teens stood in front of the large mansion which was very impressive to the eye. Sam was amazed by the architecture while Alex thought of how cool it must be to live in such a house. The Spies were donned in their usual spy outfits, which Takada barely restrained himself from drooling over. The Riders were donned in their own uniforms too. They were identical black jumpsuits with belts that had the Smart Brain emblem as the buckle, but with color coded accessories. Takada's gloves, boots and shoulder pads were dark blue, Ryuki's were red and Tazuka's were light blue. Clover had to admit that those suits showed off their bodies quite well.

"So who owns this place?" asked Clover.

"My mother," Ryuki sighed.

"Huh?" Sam blinked. "But this is…oh my gosh,"

"What's the deal, Sam?" asked Clover. The boys were being oddly silent.

"This is Emiko Narukawa Hasuma's mansion," Sam explained. "She was the last person to vanish."

"Hasuma?" asked Alex. "Isn't that Leo's last…name?"

Alex's eyes widened before she turned to look at Ryuki. The normally vibrant boy was now glum and looked like he was overflowing with guilt. He was naturally assuming that the girls were going to freak out over who his mother was. After all, a lot of girls in his old schools did it all the time once they heard.

"Oh, Leo," Alex sighed sadly. "I'm so sorry. It was your mom that got kidnapped, wasn't it?"

"Hai," Ryuki sighed. "I was out at the time and when I got back home I found out that she had gone missing."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Alex said sadly. She stood in front of Ryuki and gently took his hands. "We'll get her back. Just you wait."

"You see?" Takada asked. "We'll get her back. It's as simple as that."

While the collected teens were getting their sullen teammate back to normal, there was another pair of eyes watching them. They were filled with anger at the red haired male, but it was miniscule when it was compared to the anger at those who had taken away and harmed someone so precious to her.

"You'd better find mama," the figure hissed. "I won't forgive you or myself if something happens to her."

* * *

OK, I'd like to thank Ten Faced Paladin for his help finishing this chap. OK, next, investigations.


	3. Chapter 2: Investigations

Entering the mansion was easy since Tazuka and Takada were familiar faces as well as being Ryuki's friends. Having Ryuki present also helped since all the Spies needed was for the staff to see him before being allowed entrance.

"OK, where was the last place she was seen?" Sam asked.

"Her studio," Ryuki pointed. "She's almost always there, drawing up new designs."

Clover seemed to like the idea of going into a fashion designer's studio. She'd be the first to see unreleased designs. It was her dream come true! Heck, maybe after this she could be asked to model! She was not going to miss this chance!

Alex, however, was paying most of her attention on Ryuki. This was affecting him greatly. Why shouldn't it? His mom had been kidnapped and he felt personally responsible for it. Maybe she could help cheer him up.

"Leo, are you OK?" Alex asked carefully.

"Oh, I'm fine," Ryuki said. "We should go."

They then met with both Ryuki's grandparents. His grandfather, Kokoru, was from his dad's side while his grandmother, Sonomi, was from his mom's side. They didn't usually get along but right now they were still distraught over Emiko's disappearance as well as hoping that she'd be found.

Sam said, "OK, Tazuka and I will interview everyone here. Takada and Clover will go and look for clues in the studio."

"And what about us?" Alex asked, gesturing to herself and Ryuki.

"Well," Takada smiled, implying something, "Why not have Ryuki here take you on a tour of the house.? You might find some clues."

Ryuki had no clue what Takada was implying and thought that it could be a way to find some more clues on his mother's disappearance. "Hai," Ryuki nodded. "Ikuyo, Alex-san," he said to her, leading her away.

"You set them up," Tazuka said with a frown.

"Hey, the kid's depressed," Takada countered. "I just wanted to help."

"Then help find clues while Sam and I interview Ryuki-kun's grandparents and the staff," Tazuka said seriously before going off with Sam.

"Geez, what crawled up his butt?" Takada muttered before smiling towards Clover, "Shall we?"

"Sure!" Clover smiled. Being in a famous fashion designer's house was one thing, but with a cute guy was definitely a plus for her.

* * *

"So where do you think we should start?" asked Alex.

"Well," Ryuki frowned slightly. "If the people who took okaasan had to escape, they might have gone through the garden. Lots of places to hide out there."

"Sounds good!" Alex nodded. "Let's go!"

The Rider and the Spy quickly went through the doors to the outside of the property. Ryuki led the way until they reached the gardens which were planted on the estate. Alex's eyes went wide as she took in the sights of the exotic flowers and the smells they gave off.

"Oh, wow," she gasped as she saw it all.

"I know," Ryuki nodded. "Let's search."

"Right!" Alex nodded.

This began the search between the yellow-clad Spy and the black and red-clad Rider. What they were looking for were signs that someone had gone through the garden with something that they shouldn't have. The main pathways and some of the smaller ones were checked, but they didn't find anything that looked like what they were looking for. They only tracks they found were wheelbarrow and gardener's boots.

"I used to play in the garden with my sister," Ryuki mused to himself. Alex overheard him.

"You have a sister?" Alex asked, interested.

"She's my twin sister, older by 10 minutes," he elaborated. "I haven't seen her much, lately. For some reason she's been avoiding me." He frowned. "I just don't understand it. We used to be so close."

"Maybe she wants to be alone after your mother disappeared," Alex said consolingly as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Realizing her action, she blushed and pulled away. "Well, let's try to look for more clues," Alex suggested, cheeks warm.

Alex's touch was warm and Ryuki's cheeks turned red for about a second. Had he gotten over Caitlin already? Takada did used to tell him to never get hung up over a girl after breaking up with her. But, Takada has had numerous girlfriends in the past so it was probably easy for him. It wasn't easy for the red haired Rider with green eyes.

* * *

Sam and Tazuka sat down across from the grandparents. They didn't seem too surprised to see a girl dressed in a tight green bodysuit. Kokoru did stare at her chest for a bit too long before Sonomi bashed him in the head to get him to stop.

"So, when was the last time you saw Mrs. Hasuma?" Sam asked, trying to get information.

"It was about 3 days ago when it happened," Sonomi said, still distraught over her daughter's disappearance. "Usually she'd call if she was going to be somewhere for too long but we haven't heard from her since."

"Can you tell me what happened?" Sam asked again.

"Well, Emiko was in her studio as usual, going over some new designs," Kokoru explained. "I was training my grandson. My granddaughter, however, was out."

"Granddaughter?" Sam asked. This was new.

Tazuka explained, "Ryuki-kun has a twin sister. Her name is Neko but she prefers to be called Kat. She's… a bit difficult to get close to and has a very nasty temper."

"She's not here right now," Sonomi frowned, "Probably just as upset as I am over her mother's disappearance, the poor child."

Kokoru crossed his arms, grumbling, "If you ask me, she should be here trying to help instead of walking around out there doing nothing."

Sam asked more, "Tell me what else happened?"

"Well, when she didn't leave her studio the next morning, we thought she might've fallen asleep. We tried waking her up by knocking the door but there was no answer," Sonomi said. "So, I unlocked the door and when I opened it she was nowhere to be seen."

"I was like she just vanished, without a trace," Kokoru added.

Tazuka frowned. He remembered going over this information with Ichijyo and the only response was that Emiko had been taken by a Mirror Monster. However, Ryuki flat out protested, firmly believing that she was alive. He knew that when a person was taken into the Mirror World they would never be seen again. Ichijyo assumed it was denial but then he allowed the investigation to go on. He also had a feeling that maybe Ryuki was right and the missing designers weren't eaten.

* * *

The studio hadn't been disturbed since Emiko's disappearance. As much as Clover wanted to gush for being in a famous designer's own studio, she knew she had a job to do. But, it was difficult to do when you were in the same room with a total hottie.

Takada examined the door, "No signs of forced entry." He then walked over to the windows, "Locked from the inside." He knew that these were signs that a Mirror Monster could've taken Emiko, but there was one glaring piece of information that denied that.

The home of a Zodiac Knight would be guarded by their Beasts. A random monster would've been stopped by one of the Knights' contracts. It was a simple security measure to make sure wild monsters didn't go after the Knights in their sleep.

Clover was trying to find clues too. Aside from the papers strewn all over the floor with design patterns on them, there was nothing else that could lead them to a solution.

"This is just so weird," Clover said, scratching her head.

"When you're in this business, weird is only part of the job description," Pluto said. "Got any prints?"

Clover had also been dusting for fingerprints and only found Emiko's. There were also other prints but they were old and didn't fit the time frame.

* * *

Both Alex and Ryuki had moved from the garden and were now in the dojo. He was giving her a tour of his home since they hadn't found any clues.

The dojo was fully equipped with all the necessary equipment for training and had enough space for over 100 students. His grandfather would often train students while Ryuki watched before being personally trained himself. His grandfather was also a photographer and Ryuki had seen the pictured he'd taken of many martial arts forms.

"Your mom _knows_?" Alex was surprised.

"Hai, she does," Ryuki said, referring to when he told Alex that his mother was fully aware of his status as a Smart Brain Operative. "Doesn't your mother know about you being a Spy?"

"I haven't exactly told her," Alex confessed. "She'd freak out if she found out."

"Well, she is your mother," Ryuki reasoned. "She should be worried."

"Does your mom worry?" Alex asked.

"Every time I'm out there on a mission," he replied, "But she knows this is what I want to do. She knows I want to help people."

"Wow," Alex said, impressed. "That's like so heroic."

"I've always wanted to be a hero," Ryuki admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Want to check out my room?"

"Sure!" Alex perked up.

* * *

Sam and Tazuka had just finished interviewing the staff in the mansion and didn't get much info out of them either. They weren't around when it happened and Emiko didn't have a security camera in her room either.

"OK, nobody saw anything before she vanished," Sam said, growning. "Oh, this is hopeless."

"Calm down, Sam," Tazuka said.

"I mean, we usually find clues and get witness statements when there's a missing persons case but we haven't gotten anything!"

Tazuka frowned and then said to elevate her stress, "You're a smart girl, Sam. You'll find the answers."

Sam smiled at the compliment and blushed shyly, "Thanks, Tazuka." She then asked, "Is that another one of your predictions?"

"You could say that."

* * *

"Wow!" Alex smiled as she looked at the room. "This room is bigger than mine!"

"Well, this used to be my mother's room before," Ryuki explained. Alex turned to see the biggest TV screen she'd ever seen.

"Woah, that's big!" Alex exclaimed.

"Well, this is my home theatre system, emphasis on theatre," Ryuki said. "I like to watch my movies on the big screen like this and with the lights off, it has the perfect atmosphere."

"You live like a prince," Alex said, complimenting him.

"I…thank you, but I prefer being just a normal kid," Ryuki blushed. Alex then noticed something sitting on his bed and then walked over to pick it up.

"Aw, it's so cute!" It was a plush doll. "It looks familiar though."

"Okaasan made it for me for my tenth birthday. It's supposed to be me," Ryuki told her.

"It does look like you," Alex giggled.

Ryuki's heart was elevated by her laughter. She had so much energy and was funny too. She had a great sense of humor and loved sports. Not looking where he was going, he suddenly tripped and fell towards Alex. He accidentally caught her by the waist as they fell on top of the bed.

Alex was trapped under him and could feel his hard muscles pressing against her petite body. He was also quite warm. Ryuki looked down on her, blushing profusely, before he jumped off her.

"G-Gomen!" he apologized as he helped her back to her feet. She smiled shyly as she too was blushing.

"I see you play the drums," Alex commented as she saw the drum set.

"I'm still practicing," Ryuki said modestly.

Awkward silence.

"We should get back to the others," Alex said.

"Right, we should," Ryuki agreed.

* * *

The 6 secret agents regrouped in front of the mansion.

"Any clues?" Tazuka asked.

"Nope," Takada shook his head. "Didn't get much from the scene."

"And no other prints aside from the victim's," Clover reported.

"The grandparents weren't much help either," Sam said, looking over her notes before apologizing to Ryuki, "Um, no offence, Leo."

"None taken," Ryuki said, smiling. "Alex-san and I didn't find anything either in the garden."

The three Riders knew that this was Mirror World related. It could be a monster, but why fashion designers? And why did the monster (if it was a monster) go around kidnapping them all across the world? Monsters tend to remain in one area where it could catch prey easily. There would be no need for it to travel great distances just to get a meal. This was so strange, even in their line of work.

Mirror World or not, they couldn't let the girls know about the alternate dimension. Ichijyo had warned them about the consequences if outsiders were allowed to know of its existence as well as the existence of the monsters that dwelled in it.

"So, where to now?" Alex asked.

"Well, we could try checking out the other victims' homes…but I doubt we'd find clues either," Sam said.

"Maybe this was unrelated," Clover suggested.

"Maybe…" Sam's X-Powder began to beep. She opened it and Jerry's holographic image appeared. "What is it, Jerry?"

"_Girls, another fashion designer has just vanished_," Jerry reported, "_You must go to Paris at once._"

"Great, another victim," Takada grumbled sarcastically.

"Well, it's off to Paris!" Tazuka said.

* * *

Paris, France

The sky was clear and the sun was bright in the romantic city of Paris. The Spies and the Riders were currently inside of a high rise building in which the most recent disappearance had occurred.

It was a designer's studio and it looked like it was in use before the designer in question had vanished.

"No signs of forced entry, no signs of a struggle," Takada muttered, "Same as before."

"Not exactly," Sam said, pointing at the surveillance camera. "Maybe that can answer some questions."

"We'll have to ask security for the tape then," Tazuka said.

"Then we'll be one step closer to finding okaasan and the other missing persons," Ryuki smiled.

It didn't take much to get the security tape. Soon, the Spies and the Riders were seated in front of a security monitor as it replayed the last moments.

"Okay," Takada sighed as he tapped at a keyboard. "These are the last hours before this designer vanished."

"Good job," Sam grinned. "Now we may be able to see who's behind all this."

"You are like, so good with computers!" Clover smiled brightly.

"You bet I am," Takada smirked. "I'm not just another pretty face after all."

"If you two are done flirting," Tazuka sighed. "We want to watch this."

The Riders and Spies settled in to watch the designer work. Clover thought it was like watching Da Vinci at work as she watched the designer putting together a new dress. Ryuki was familiar with this process since his mother liked to use him more than one of the dummies other designers would use. She said it made for better outfits.

They watched the designer work as her assistants left the room. The most action they saw was when she started yelling at one of her assistants for spilling coffee on some of the fabrics. The boys were starting to get bored when the designer was finally alone and leaning back against one of the windows.

"Hey," Alex blinked. "Is it just me or is the window starting to ripple?"

The boys now had their attention burning onto the window behind the designer. They feared that it was a Mirror World Monster that was going to snatch the designer.

To everyone's surprise, they saw the torso of someone dressed in green and black armor that had some chameleon aspects on it rise from the glass and wrap their arm around the designer. The designer fought a little before she was dragged back through.

"Woah!" Sam gasped. "What was that?"

"I dunno," Alex blinked in shock.

The boys knew. They knew very well what had happened. The designer had been snagged by a Zodiac Knight.

But the question was why?


	4. Chapter 3: Class

Beverly Hills High-The Next Day

The Spies were still working on the case involving the missing fashion designers as they watched the footage they had retrieved from the surveillance camera. No matter how many times the girls viewed the footage it still didn't make any sense to them. They were at their lockers, looking at the footage, again.

"OK, this is like Twilight Zone freaky," Clover said as she watched the fashion designer being snagged right through the window.

"I have to agree with you on that," Sam said, "I mean, this just looks like something from a Sci-Fi movie. But, then again, we've seen a lot of freaky things."

"No wonder we couldn't find any clues when the kidnapper just lunged out of the window like that," Alex said, worriedly.

The Riders had all returned to Smart Brain but promised that they would call the girls when they themselves have gotten any important information from the camera as well. Sam thought that the Riders knew something about this case, something the Spies didn't know about, but was hiding it from them. She didn't know what it was, but it had to be a big secret. She really wanted to trust them but there was just something off about how they were treating the case.

Aside from that, Sam couldn't wait to see Tazuka again. He mentioned that he was a musician as well as a fortune teller and she wanted to hear him play the piano.

Clover wanted to see Takada again because she needed a date for the Autumn Ball. Arnold had asked her yet again and she once again declined as politely as possible. Finally, Alex wanted to see Ryuki again. She really liked the boy and wanted to help him cheer up. She could see how his mother's disappearance was affecting him. He was depressed and she wanted to help him with that.

"I just can't figure out how that guy did it," Sam frowned as she looked over the video. "What could possibly make a person capable of that?"

"Not sure," Clover sighed. "But forget about that for a moment. We have a way more pressing issue to deal with."

"Huh?" Alex blinked. "Like what?"

"Like, the Autumn Ball?" Clover asked incredulously. "This is THE event of the season and we can't afford to go stag. The good dates are getting snagged as we speak."

"Oh," Alex sighed wistfully. "I wanna go with Leo."

"I know what you mean," Sam nodded. She could understand what Alex was talking about. "I'd like to ask Tazuka. He's got that older guy charm, y'know?"

"And Takada would be a killer date," Clover smiled. She then got depressed "But I bet they're all the way back in Japan now."

"Or a couple of feet behind you," a male voice spoke up.

"WAGH!" the girls cried out in surprise.

They instantly turned around to face who was talking to them. To their great surprise, they were looking at the faces of the boys they were just talking about. Sam blushed slightly, hoping that Tazuka hadn't heard her talking about them while Alex began to smile brightly.

"Hello, ladies," Tazuka nodded to the girls with a smile. "It is nice to see you all again."

"Hello," Ryuki nodded with his smile noticeably brighter than before.

"Yo!" Takada saluted with a goofy grin.

"Takada!" Clover squealed as she ran over to the smooth talking genius. "We were just talking about you."

"I know," Takada said, pointing to his ear, "We heard."

"How much did you hear?" Sam asked, blushing slightly.

"Well, we heard you were talking about the case," Tazuka answered. "We just got back from HQ after giving our reports to Ichijyo." Clover seemed to glower at the mention of Red-X's real name. "So, how have you been since we last saw you?"

"Great!" Sam said, "And you were right about my Biology test."

"You're welcome," Tazuka nodded.

"What are you guys doing here?" Alex asked, excited to see Ryuki again and glad to see him smiling brightly.

"Ichijyo," the boys answered in unison.

"He said something about improving relations between Smart Brain and WOOHP," Tazuka explained. "So, we got ourselves enrolled here for a temporary basis."

"Well, if it means spending time with you girls, I'm up for it," Takada added.

"So, this is Beverly Hills High School," Ryuki looked around. "You've got a nice school here." The previous American school he had been to was in New York when he had gone to recruit Jake. "It's very shiny." The hallways were clean and so were the lockers.

"Well, if you want a grand tour then we'll be glad to show you around," Clover offered. Internally, she was laughing victoriously. There was no way that Mandy could steal Takada way from her.

Of course, not for a lack of trying.

"Wow, fancy seeing you boys here," Mandy spoke as she walked up to them with her clique, Caitlin and Dominique. "We missed you at the mall."

Takada once again was having the uncomfortable shiver running up his spine from listening to Mandy's voice. "We…had an important errand to run." He wanted to get away from the snobbish Mandy, desperately, but his chivalrous side couldn't allow him to leave the Spies.

"I see you've met the losers," Mandy said, looking disdainfully at Alex, Clover and Sam. The three Spies responded by glaring. "Why don't we show you around? I think you'd like our company more."

Ryuki looked between Alex and then Caitlin who was waving at him. He gulped. He kinda liked Alex and didn't want to leave. '_Yaminekoryu, a little help?_'

'_Sure thing, aibou!_' the demon in him replied before they both switched control. Ryuki's eyes momentarily flashed before he looked at Mandy and her two friends.

"Sorry, Mandy-_chan_, but this is a bitch free zone," Yami-Ryuki replied. The Spies gasped as Takada and Tazuka looked at their youngest friend, surprised by his tone and that he used the word 'bitch'. Mandy was speechless as were Caitlin and Dominique. "So, fuck off!"

Mandy fumed and turned on her heels as she stomped off, followed by Dominique and Caitlin. Yaminekoryu then returned control to his host. He saw the others looking at him. "What?" he asked.

"That…has got to be the first time I've seen you being mean to anyone," Takada blinked.

"Gomen," Ryuki blushed guiltily. "With having okaasan missing and knowing that she's alive out there…my temper is not where it usually is."

"That's okay, Leo," Alex said with a forgiving smile. "I know this whole deal must be hard on you. I'd go nuts too if someone kidnapped my mom."

"Yeah!" Clover nodded. "Besides, Mandy has this gift for making people lose their tempers."

"So don't worry about it," Sam nodded. "We all have our low times."

Tazuka smiled. His otouto had that strange ability to get people to like him after just meeting them. Of course, seeing his little brother being mean was somewhat new, but everyone was entitled to being cruel when they were in Ryuki's situation.

"So where to first, ladies?" Takada smirked. Then the bell rang. "Aw, man!"

"Maybe later, we got class," Sam said.

"So do we," Tazuka nodded. "See you girls later."

"Can you tell us where we're supposed to go?" Ryuki asked as she showed the girls his schedule. They gasped in surprise.

"Wow," Clover said, "You have the same schedule we do."

"That's really lucky," Takada grinned.

"Well, as for me, I'm in the Senior class so see you all at lunch," Tazuka waved before turning to where his class would be.

* * *

The girls showed Takada and Ryuki to their chemistry class. After they showed the teacher their schedules to prove that they were supposed to be in the class, the boys gabbed seats next to the girls.

It really didn't escape Takada's notice that there was a rather geeky-looking guy who was sitting close to the girls, but not close enough to be noticed. He knew that position well. It was the standard seating for guys who had crushes on a girl but didn't want to approach them for some reason.

Class soon began and the teacher began his lesson. The girls were in various stages of attention or boredom. Ryuki dutiful paid attention to what was being taught, much like Sam and Alex, but Takada and Clover were ready to fall asleep. In Clover's case it was because she was bored, but in Takada's, it was because he knew it already.

"All right, everyone," the teacher spoke up. "Grab a lab partner and we'll begin today's experiments."

Clover immediately snatched Takada's arm. She knew that Arnold would have gone for the position and even though she didn't have anything personal against him, she didn't really want him as a lab partner. Alex had snatched up Ryuki for her lab partner and Sam decided to go with the two of them just for the sake of it.

"So what are we doing again?" asked Takada.

"We're looking at various chemicals and recording reactions when they're mixed together," Sam explained as she got her lab equipment ready.

"Oh, is that all?" Takada yawned. "Sounds okay I guess."

High school science was nothing new to him. He was way beyond that. Still, there were ways to make even small experiments like this more interesting.

"So, Leo," Alex smiled as she and Ryuki began picking out their supplies. "Think you can handle high school chemistry over here in America?"

"I've done it before, Alex-san," Ryuki smiled. "So long as Takada-san doesn't blow anything up then I can handle it."

"Blow up?" Alex blinked. "What do you mean?"

**BOOOOOMM!**

"Like that," Ryuki sighed.

Everyone's attention was turned to where Clover and Takada were working together. Smoke was rising from the beaker that they were using and amazingly enough; it was changing colors as it wafted about.

"How did you do that?" the teacher gaped.

"I just used the same chemicals you told us to use," Takada smiled. "I just mixed them up in the proper proportions. You'd be surprised what chemicals can do when they're mixed properly."

Several students were clapping with amusement as they saw the smoke. Clover loved the attention as she marveled at what Takada had done. Of course, one student in particular didn't like it so much.

Arnold didn't like the new guy with Clover just by laying eyes on him. At first Arnold took him at face value as some jock, but seeing what he did with the chemicals was astounding. He knew that the reaction was possible, but the amounts needed to make it had to be precise. The new guy knew his chemistry. But the fact that he was showboating was a mockery to science!

He would have to keep an eye on the new guys.

* * *

Class had ended on a light note with Takada earning some serious social points for his little stunt. Word was spreading through the school pretty quickly. Takada took the complements when they were handed out. Some cheerleaders asked if he could do it for them while they went through one of their routines. Takada was instantly glad to help.

"All this for a little smoke show?" asked Sam as the five friends walked through the halls.

"It's a pretty complicated formula," Takada explained. "One thing wrong and you could make the smoke change the colors of anything it touched or even make it poisonous."

"What!" Alex cried. "You mean you could have killed us!"

"Heck no," Takada laughed. "I'd have to use major amounts of one of the chemicals if I wanted to do that. At worst, I might have turned your hair a different color."

"I like my hair fine thanks," Clover smiled.

As they were walking, they began to hear the sounds of music coming through the halls. They were tones that belonged to a piano and the tune was almost heavenly.

"Wow," Sam breathed. "That tune is lovely."

"Niisan's playing," Ryuki smiled. "He loves to play the piano."

The three girls and two boys followed the tune until they got to the music classroom. Even though the bell had rung, signaling the end of class, the students were still inside, captured by the music. At the front of the classroom, Tazuka was sitting at the piano with his fingers flying over the keys like a professional.

"Oh, wow," Clover gasped. "He is good."

"Yeah," Alex nodded.

"Niisan is quite talented with the piano as well as the electric keyboard," Ryuki said as he admired the music.

"Hey, I'm not so bad with a bass guitar myself," Takada boasted.

Sam was just listening to the music that was flowing through the air. She could just stay and watch as Tazuka played the piece with little to no error. He then ended his little concert by playing the final notes with a smooth finish. His audience clapped as he stood up and bowed his head in appreciation. They then groaned in disappointment as he left upon seeing his friends.

"Tazuka," Sam began, cheeks flushed, "That was amazing!"

"Thank you, Sam," Tazuka smiled charmingly.

Takada muttered in amusement, "Show off."

"So, what's next?" Ryuki asked. He liked this school or maybe it was just spending time with his new friends.

"Well, we got Phys Ed next," Alex pointed out. She loved Phys Ed. It was the one subject she would guarantee to pass.

"I'm looking forward to it," Takada grinned suggestively. Girls in white t-shirts and shorts, doing jumping jacks. Once again he was slipping into one of his many perverted fantasies about girls.

"What about you, Tazuka?" Sam asked.

"I have Phys Ed too," Tazuka said. Sam smiled. It may mean both their classes would be using the gym as well.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Clover asked, wanting to see what the Riders could do in Gym class. "Let's go!"

* * *

Since Takada, Tazuka and Ryuki were new their gym clothes were a lot different from the rest of the class. Mandy and her clique were there too, much to their annoyance. Takada had stated before that even though Mandy was pretty, she was annoying since her voice irritated his ears. Ryuki wanted to apologize for his previous outburst due to Yaminekoryu but was advised against it since it may give her an incentive to approach them again.

Takada grinned as she saw the girls in their gym clothes before Tazuka and Ryuki whacked him up the head. "Hey!"

"Don't be a pervert," Tazuka warned before walking over to his class.

"My sentiments exactly," Ryuki said as both of them walked over to join their own gym class. Ryuki wasn't so naïve anymore thanks to Tazuka.

"Okay, everyone," the gym teacher spoke. "It's volleyball today. I'm going to break you all into teams of five so that we have an even number of teams."

Surprisingly, the girls found themselves teamed up with Takada and Ryuki. Both Clover and Alex were more than happy with the situation. As they were setting up the nets though, Sam was letting her gaze wander to the senior gym class which was all boys. They were playing basketball and it was shirts versus skins, to many girls delight. A number of the boys were nice, fit and so yummy to look at. One of those shirtless boys was Tazuka.

Sam found herself admiring his trim body and nice muscles. He wasn't buff by any means, but he was lean and very attractive.

"Earth to Sam!" Clover's voice shouted in her ear.

"AHHH!" Sam cried, caught off guard. She turned to glare at her friend slightly.

"I know Tazuka's a little stud-muffin, but we've got a game to play," Clover snickered. "Now, come on."

The games started quickly and the combination of Ryuki and Alex quickly dominated every game they played. The two athletes were easily able to keep the ball moving before spiking it into the ground on the other side of the net. By the time the games were over, both Ryuki and Alex had bright smiles on their faces.

"Does anyone else feel totally useless right now?" Clover deadpanned.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Takada chuckled. "He did this all the time back at our old school."

His gaze turned to the groups of girls from the senior class who were watching the red haired boy work up a sweat. The groups of fangirls were pretty darn familiar too. It only served to annoy Takada, but he was fairly certain he saw Alex throw them an annoyed glare of her own.

"Sugoi!" Ryuki said, wiping the sweat off his brow but with a wide smile, "That was great!"

"Yeah!" Alex agreed as she looked at Ryuki with a bright smile.

The gym teacher approached Ryuki and said, "Kid, you got some pretty good skill out there. How would you like to try for the boys' volleyball team?"

Ryuki was reluctant to agree. He was only going to be in Beverly Hills High until the end of the mission. "Ano…sensei, I don't think I'll be able to join. I'm busy with other stuff."

The gym teacher nodded, "Well, if you change your mind you know where to find me." He then left.

"Wow, he must think you're good," Alex said in amazement. Takada rolled his eyes as Ryuki bashfully rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, it does feel nice to be a normal kid," Ryuki said, remarking that he didn't have much of a normal life as his mom had sheltered him and kept bodyguards watching him 24/7.

The bell rang and the gym teacher shouted, "Hit the showers!"

* * *

After several other classes, it was soon lunch time and the girls led the boys towards the cafeteria.

"Nice place you got here," Takada admired the cafeteria. It looked really hip.

"Thanks," Clover said, "And the menu is also totally awesome."

"I'll take your word for it," Takada nodded.

Ryuki eyes went over to the food instantly as he grabbed a tray and began to fill it with the food he could grab.

"Wow, he works fast," Sam admitted.

"Ryuki-kun loves food," Tazuka said. "But he can somehow eat a lot without gaining weight. It's a mystery to us."

"Well, I'm gonna go grab something too," Alex said as she grabbed a tray as well before walking over to select her meal.

"Ladies first," Takada said to Clover who giggled.

"Why certainly, kind sir," Clover said. Tazuka and Sam also went to get their trays. Takada was about to follow them when he felt a tug at the back of his jacket. Turning around, he was looking at Arnold who was glaring at him.

"Um…can I help you?" Takada asked curiously. He wasn't sure what Arnold problem was.

"Who do you think you are?" Arnold demanded sharply from Takada. The young genius quirked an eyebrow. "You just waltz in here and show off in class and suddenly you're popular. Not only that, you're hanging around Clover. I saw her first!"

Everyone turned to stare as Arnold raised his voice at Takada. At their table, Clover groaned as she slapped her forehead.

"Oh, Arnold…" she groaned.

"What's going on?" Ryuki asked worriedly.

"Arnold's had the biggest crush on Clover since ever," Alex said, "He's a nice guy, but…"

"He's a geek and I don't date geeks," Clover frowned.

Tazuka and Ryuki shook their heads. Clover, they could vouch, was a nice girl but she was still a little shallow. Then again, Takada could be too so they made good pair when one thought about it.

"Shouldn't we stop this?" Sam asked.

"Oh, relax and watch," Tazuka said. "Takada won't hurt him, I think."

"This has happened to Takada-san before," Ryuki nodded. "It's happened a lot of times when I think about it. He knows what to do though."

Back over with Arnold and Takada, things were tense. While Takada was a notorious flirt and womanizer, he still respected women and their opinions. When they said no, he knew they meant no. It didn't mean he wouldn't try again later, but he respected their decisions. Arnold made it sound like he owned Clover or something.

"Look, pal," Takada sighed. "What I do is my business. If people like it and talk about me than that's cool. What Clover and I do is none of your business. She was single when I met her so seeing what develops shouldn't be a big deal. Besides, who are you to say who she dates?"

Arnold scowled at Takada, but didn't offer a retort. The new guy was making some good points and he didn't have a lot of ammunition against him to make him back off from Clover. That didn't mean he didn't have anything to say about it though.

"Oh yeah?" Arnold frowned. "I've been trying to get closer to Clover for a long time now! Then you come in and just think you can sweep her off her feet? No way!"

"Again, what business is it of yours?' Takada sighed. "Clover wanted to get to know me and I want to get to know her. Now I'm going to eat lunch with my friends before the period is over, so excuse me."

Takada then left the upset boy as he walked over to get something to eat. The girls had been paying rapt attention since it was almost like a soap opera. Ryuki and Tazuka were watching since it was their friend involved.

"Poor Arnold," Alex sighed. "He just can't catch a break can he?"

"Well, there are plenty more girls than me out there," Clover frowned. She then began to snicker. "Although he does have good taste in women."

Sam just sighed and shook her head. Clover's vanity has reared its ugly head yet again.

"So, anyway," Sam began, "We've been looking at the security footage but haven't gotten any new leads. We still don't know how the guy did it or who he is."

"Weird outfit, though," Clover pointed out, "I mean, who'd go around looking like a frog."

"Chameleon, actually," Tazuka clarified, "The armor was designer after a chameleon but I can see anyone making that mistake."

The Riders knew who it was. It was Mirage and Facade. They were known as the Chameleon Knights of Gemini who specialized in creating illusions. They always worked side by side and never alone. If one of them was involved, you could bet the other one was too. Unfortunately, they couldn't tell the Spies about this since they'd vowed to keep the Mirror World's existence. A question nagging in the back of their heads was why the Gemini Knights were after fashion designers.

"But how did he pop out of the window like that and who knows if there are others out there?" Alex questioned.

Ryuki gulped and nearly choked on his food. All Zodiac Knights could travel through the Mirror World to get to anywhere in the world. It was the common ability they all shared to make sure they could fight the monsters on an equal level.

"Well, we know what they look like, sorta," Takada shrugged, "But why kidnap fashion designers? You got any clues, girls?"

"Maybe an old foe?" Tazuka suggested. "I mean this sort of things seems to happen in your missions a lot, if what we read from the files available to us anyway."

The girls began to think until a name suddenly popped into their heads.

"Helga Von Guggen!" the three girls said in unison.

"Who's that?" Takada asked.

"One nasty fashion designer," Sam gagged, "She once mutated people so that she could turn their skins into fur coats."

Ryuki nearly spat out his drink. "Alright, in the words of a friend of mine that is sick and wrong!"

"Mutating people?" Tazuka questioned, "This woman has problems."

"I say she's nuts!" Takada added, "I mean I would never mutate people on purpose!" He left it unsaid that he had done exactly that when some of his experiments went horribly wrong. He didn't do it on purpose, but when it happened, things got really wild.

"And she turned Alex into a catgirl!" Alex said and this time Takada paused.

"A catgirl?" Takada repeated and then looked at Clover while imagining it. Although he was the Dog Knight, he was still a little perverted and catgirls were awfully sexy.

"Yeah," Clover grimaced in disgust. "I had a lot of hairballs."

"I would've wanted to see that," Takada said, "The catgirl thing, I mean. Sounds hot."

Tazuka and Ryuki rolled their eyes. Trust Takada's hormones to make a play.

"So, what happened to her?" Tazuka asked, wanting to change the subject.

"We happened," Alex said proudly. "We kicked her butt and sent her packing."

"But, she could still be responsible for all the kidnapped designers," Sam deducted. "It's just a theory, but…"

"But why would she have designers kidnapped?" asked Ryuki. "I mean, what would she hope to gain from it?"

"Probably wants to make her designs the only ones left," Clover frowned. "As if I'd wear her outfits. Yuck!"

"But do you think she's the one who had that chameleon suit made?" asked Alex. "I mean, she did have that whole turn people into animals thing last time we met her."

"It's a thought," Sam frowned. "We'll have to find out if we ever run into them."

'_Pray that you don't,_' Tazuka thought to himself. Mirage and Façade were both deadly fighters and you didn't want to mess with them. Their illusions alone could make a person think they were dead before their body acted accordingly.

"So, have you boys heard about the Autumn Ball?" Clover asked.


	5. Chapter 4: Dates

The final bell rung signifying the end of the school day. Students of Bev High quickly rushed out of the building but our main focus right now was on a certain group of 6 students, 3 girls and 3 boys.

It was a common thought between the girls about the boys they were accompanying all day. Despite their chosen profession, Sam, Clover, and Alex were still high school girls. As such, they had a strong desire to try and date members of the opposite sex, and these three girls each had a specific target in mind.

"So, Tazuka, wanna go to a museum later, if you're free?" Sam asked the oldest member of the Riders.

"I'd love to, Sam," Tazuka smiled, making Sam blushed. Good God he was just so gorgeous plus there would be no secrets between them, or so she thought.

"Say, Takada," Clover said, batting her eyelashes, "You wanna come over to my place so you can tutor me?" Of course, him tutoring her may not be her intentions.

"Let's make it a study date," Takada said. He liked Clover. He liked any pretty face (except Mandy since her voice reminded him of nails on a chalkboard) and spending time with the blonde Spy was indeed a plus to his evening before they went after Helga Von Guggen. Unlike Takada, Ichijyo never mixed business with pleasure. That was what set them both apart.

"Um…Leo?" Alex spoke shyly. "Wanna go skating later?"

Ryuki had been thinking about rescuing his mother actually, but he doubted his mother would want him to feel depressed about her kidnapping. Her wish was to see her children smile and enjoy their lives. But…he doubt he could, knowing that she was possibly in danger. As willingly as he could, he accepted her invitation, "Hai, Alex-san."

* * *

Sam waited outside the museum which was situated in Beverly Hills. She had been there before, several times. She just hadn't had much company with her when she went. She used to go with her parents, but once she was old enough she went alone or with Clover and Alex. Her friends didn't really appreciate the kind of allure history and art had for her.

She just hoped Tazuka did.

Sam was dressed up in an outfit that she hoped would show maturity, but also showed Tazuka that she knew how to have fun. The fortune teller was definitely mysterious and she was looking forward to getting to know him.

She checked the time and noticed that they were due to meet soon. Despite what she did know about him, she was still afraid that he might stand her up. She knew it was silly, but she just couldn't help but feel that way no matter who she was dating.

The sounds of an engine caught her attention and she saw a navy blue motorcycle coming to a stop in one of the parking spaces. She was about to turn away and continue waiting when she saw the rider pull off his helmet.

"Tazuka?" she gasped. The guy was nice, mature, AND he had a motorcycle?! Where did guys like him come from? She might consider moving.

Tazuka dismounted from his bike, dressed in a blue blazer with matching slacks over a white turtle-neck shirt. He also had on the usual black leather shoes. Sam could only watch as the older boy approached her and extended a hand in greeting.

"You came," she said, taking his hand.

"Well, you did invite me," he said, smiling, causing her legs to quake a bit. "Well, since you know this place better than me, I guess you'll be the one giving me the grand tour."

"Sure," Sam nodded. "Just follow my lead."

* * *

Clover was in her room at the Spies's villa getting ready for her 'study-date' with Takada. She really liked the guy not because he was cute but also smart. Being a secret agent like herself was a definite plus since the last few times she'd dated she had to keep that part of her life a secret.

She put on a red blouse and blue jeans and had her hair tied back in a ponytail. To finish the look, she put on a pair of stylish glasses. She admired herself in the mirror and winked to herself, "Perfect." She then heard the doorbell and gushed. "Ooh, he's here!" before rushing down the stairs towards the door. She opened it up to see Takada, with a bag slung over his shoulder and a bouquet of red roses in one hand.

"Hey, gorgeous," he said, grinning flirtatiously. He'd perfected the technique over the years and it had gotten results with girls. "Nice glasses," he complimented. Clover took the flowers before taking his hand and dragging him inside.

Takada was not by all means naïve. When Clover had suggested a study date just between the two of them, he knew that studying wasn't going to be the only thing they'd be doing. He wasn't going to use Clover like most guys. He did genuinely like her. His flirtatious personality was only because he was desperate for female affection since his mom was in a coma. Ichijyo saw him as being a pervert but that was the Snake's opinion. To be honest, Takada was more of a playboy rather than a pervert. He was usually incapable of being faithful to a girl and his eyes would wander. His favorite type of girl, to be honest, was the strong and take-charge type that he saw in Clover.

* * *

Alex was waiting while sitting on a park bench, dressed in a bright orange tank top and tight bicycle shorts along with her helmet, kneepads, wrist-guards, elbow-pads and finally her rollerblades. The reason she had suggested rollerblading was because it was an activity she knew Ryuki would love. He did seem a little depressed and since he loved sports maybe this could help cheer him up.

"OK, he should be here by now," Alex muttered to herself as she checked her watch. She really wished she didn't get stood up. It happened sometimes to her or at some cases she gets called by WOOHP.

"Alex-san!" she heard someone call and she looked up towards the direction to see Ryuki skating towards her. He was wearing a red t-shirt with a dragon emblem on it and black shorts that came down to his knees. He wore a pair of stylish red 'blades with black dragons decorating them as well as matching kneepads, elbow-pads, wrist guards and helmet. The helmet, she could see, was red with a silver dragon emblem on it matching the one on his shirt. Over his eyes he was wearing the goggles she'd seen him wear on his head. She stood up to greet him.

"Leo!" she called. Unfortunately, she had risen too quickly and started to loose her balance. "Woah! Woah! Woah!!" She was falling backwards and would've landed painfully on the pavement if Ryuki hadn't dashed forward and grabbed her before she hit the ground. She looked up and blushed to see him holding her in such a way it resembled a scene in a classic romance movie when a man was about to kiss the woman he loved. She didn't get a kiss, however, as Ryuki helped her to stand up straight yet keeping his hands securely on her hips. She couldn't help but feel disappointed about that.

"Daijoubu desu ka?" he asked in Japanese. Globetrotting on missions had helped Alex understand a few common phrases, Japanese being one of them. He knew what he'd asked her.

"I'm fine," she smiled, the red on her cheeks still showing. "I'm glad you came."

"I'm glad that you invited me," Ryuki smiled back. Despite knowing his mother was possibly in danger, without anymore leads, he had no choice but to wait in worry. He did not want to decline Alex's invitation either so he went with his heart and decided to go skating with her, much to her happiness.

"Race ya!" she challenged as she skated off quickly. Chuckling merrily, Ryuki chased after her.

* * *

At the museum, Sam was showing Tazuka around the place, explaining about some of the exhibits they had there. She feared that she was maybe boring him, but one sentence put that fear away.

"You're quite knowledgeable, Sam," he complimented.

Sam blushed, in appreciation, "You're welcome, Tazuka. Anyway, I really wanted to know more about you."

Tazuka shrugged, "What's to know? I go to college in Japan, I'm both a fortune teller and a pianist, and finally I work as an Operative for Smart Brain Corporation."

Sam frowned. "There has to be something more, like what was your life was before you became an Operative."

Tazuka frowned and pondered. "I met with the others a few months ago while they were on a mission. When I assisted them, I was recruited and became part of their group. Before that…I had a brother."

"You _had_ a brother?" Sam asked.

"He died in an accident," Tazuka said. He didn't elaborate on the fact that Yoshido had been the one to choose his brother to bear the mantle of the Knight of Pisces due to his desperation. His brother was left unable to play the piano due to an accident that damaged the nerves in his hands. Sensing this, Yoshido gave the Pisces deck to Tazuka's brother. He confided in Tazuka and when he reached a decision to not fight, Yoshido decided to just eliminate him and sent a monster to kill him. Tazuka was unable to save him but when Fuji came to him since the Pisces deck was still intact, he swore an oath to fight as Zodiac Knight Jawz. He also decided to continue playing the piano in memory of his deceased brother.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry," Sam said in condolence.

Tazuka shook his head, "It's alright." He put on a smile, "Come on, let's continue our tour, shall we?"

"Yeah, let's," Sam smiled. Tazuka took her hand as she lead the young man through the museum, pointing out a few more exhibits as she explained their origins as well as the interesting facts about them. Tazuka heard a faint ringing but did not panic as he glanced into a glass case to see Sharkhan, his Alpha Zodiac Beast, following them, as if watching over them.

* * *

Clover had taken Takada to her room and closed the door behind her after he'd entered. A boy, all to herself, with no one around not even her parents, to stop her. Oh, this was a dream come true.

Takada put down his bag and took out his books, "Alright, let's start, shall we?"

Clover frowned. Studying? Did Takada really think that was all she wanted to do? Well, might as well play along. "Right, let's start." She took out a binder and sat on the floor with Takada, watching him and listening as he explained a particular difficult section which they had covered in chemistry. There was also some physics stuff she had trouble grasping as well some math as well. Takada knew, or at least suspected, that she was using studying as an excuse to spend time with him, but he didn't mind.

Clover would listen to him talking as he explained the theories to her as well as show her some shortcuts in the equations.

Clover noticed he was wearing some sort of cologne. She leaned closed to catch a whiff. This, however, prompted the young genius to look over at her.

Smooch.

Their lips suddenly met.

In the reflection of the television set, Cerberus watched on, making sure that its contract holder and his consort were protected at all times.

Across from the villa was Mandy's house and through her contacts the annoying nemesis of the Spies in Bev High had found out that each of the Spies had gotten dates with the three new boys on the block. Presently, Mandy was spying on Clover and Takada's 'study-date' through an expensive pair of binoculars when she caught the kiss. She growled as she watched it unfold.

* * *

Ryuki merrily chased after Alex as they skated along a pathway in the park. She was so energetic and vibrant he couldn't help but fall for her. He wasn't at all naïve about girls but he had trouble seeing them as beyond friends due to his sheltered life. He'd always been surrounded by strong female figures and role-models like his mother as well as her bodyguards who he saw as surrogate sisters. They would give their lives to protect him. He didn't want them to have to do that but early in his life he had little choice of the matter.

Ever since his father's death, his mother had instructed the bodyguards to keep a watchful eye over him and his sister at all times. His mother had also dropped work in order to spend time with her two children. Because of this, Ryuki felt quite close to his mother. They had a strong bond and relationship.

When he'd revealed to her that he was Zodiac Knight Draco, she was shocked. At the same time, their home had been attacked by the strongest of Yoshido's Black Knights, King. Despite her protests, he went to fight King and soundly defeated him. He, however, was wounded badly. Luckily, Shadowcobra and Pluto were there to save him before he 'passed on to the next world'. When he woke up, his mother tried to talk him out of being a Zodiac Knight. However, it was already too late. His fate as a Knight had been sealed since he found the deck and the only way out was to be defeated or death. She gave up when she saw his resolve and gave him her blessings. Of course, she would still worry. After recovering from the shock, she decided to create costumes for her son and his friends, much to Ichijyo's annoyance and chagrin.

As Alex and Ryuki skated past a few storefronts, Dragonzer could be seen gliding alongside them in the reflections on the glass. The red dragon was pleased that the Alex-human was cheering up its contract holder. Since Matriarch-Emiko was taken by the Twin Contractors, Dragonzer's contractor was very depressed. Seeing him smile was a welcomed change.

Another pair of eyes was watching them, filled with an emotion that could either be anger, disgust or a mixture of both. While Mama was in danger, he dared to have fun. It wasn't right for him to do so. He should be out looking for her!

Well, if he wasn't going to do his job, maybe she should do it instead. She walked away, making sure she was unnoticed before disappearing into an alley.

* * *

Sam and Tazuka came to a stop outside the villa on Tazuka's motorcycle. Sam had to admit that driving one was nice, but riding it with someone you liked was even better. They had spent the afternoon discussing the finer points of art history before they realized the time and Tazuka decided to take Sam home.

"Nice place," Tazuka admired as he looked at the villa. "Did WOOHP give it to you for services rendered?"

"Actually our moms got it for us," Sam smiled. "They figured that since we were such great friends we'd like to live together. It's been pretty great."

"I see," Tazuka nodded. "Ryuki, Takada, and Ichijyo were living together when they met me so they would probably know about it better than I do."

Speaking of the Dragon Rider, laughter and the sounds of wheels could be heard coming from the pavement. Sam and Tazuka turned to see who was coming and he smiled as he saw Ryuki and Alex skating towards them.

The two bladers came to a halt as they reached the villa. Both of them were panting and showing that they had put a whole lot of effort into their skating.

"I win!" Alex giggled.

"Only by a little, Alex-chan," Ryuki smiled. "I'll win next time."

Tazuka blinked at the 'chan' reference his little brother had attached to Alex's name. He couldn't help but smile. It seemed that he might actually be getting over Caitlin at long last. At least Alex was a good choice rather than one of the fangirls Ryuki would unknowingly collect.

"Would you guys like to come in?" Sam offered as she got off Tazuka's motorcycle. "The only ones here are probably Clover and Takada anyway."

"We have food!" Alex added. "It's getting closer to dinner anyway."

"Sounds good," Ryuki smiled.

"I suppose we could stay for a while," Tazuka shrugged. "Thank you for your generosity."

Sam and Alex both gave off bright smiles, inwardly cheering at their good fortune. Thy quickly brought the boys inside to give them the grand tour. As they got in, they noticed that the television was on. As the four teens went to investigate, they found Takada and Clover curled up on the couch with the blonde wrapped in the genius' arms.

"Hey, guys," Clover waved with a bright smile on her face. "I see you guys brought your dates home too."

Alex blushed brightly while Sam got slightly rosy in the cheeks. Ryuki just blinked, not even considering his outing with Alex as a date while Tazuka just chuckled.

"And what about you?" asked Sam. "I thought you were having a study session."

"We were," Takada defended. "She seemed to get a hold of things when I explained them to her and soon we decided to move onto more fun stuff."

"You heard the man," Clover giggled.

As the 3 possible couples reunited, they were still being watched like a hawk by Mandy. The black-haired girl growled even louder than before and was on the verge of breaking her binoculars with her bare hands.

* * *

It was getting late, so the boys decided to take their leave after dinner with the three girls. The three Riders stood in front of the door where the girls were to see them off.

"I had a great evening, Sam," Tazuka said before kissing Sam's hand.

"Remember, you can ask me to come over if you need help with your lessons anytime," Takada said before lightly kissing Clover's lips, even though the blonde wanted it to last longer.

"I had fun today, Alex-chan," Ryuki said, giving the girl a kind and playful smile. Her heart fluttered when he kissed her forehead.

As the three boys turned to leave, suddenly a trap hole opened up under all 6 teens. The Spies knew what was happening as the Riders braced themselves for another ride to WOOHP. There were shrill shrieks of fright and screams of delight as the two groups fell into the hole which then closed up. The door to the villa automatically closed and locked itself.

* * *

They once again found themselves dumped into Jerry's office, landing on his couch. Well, the boys landed on the couch while the girls landed in their respective boys' laps. Clover actually didn't mind the ride much. If it meant spending more time with Takada, she welcome another mission. Sam and Alex were feeling the same way as both Tazuka and Ryuki caught them.

"Good evening, girls, gentlemen," Jerry greeted. GLADIS wasn't present right now either. Probably still going through her upgrades or maintenance as Jerry claimed.

Clover, still perched in Takada's lap, questioned in an annoyed fashion, "Oh, Jerry! What was the big deal with woohping us here?"

Tazuka, taking the role of leader, asked, "Has there been another kidnapping?"

Jerry shook his head, "No, at least not yet. We do have reason to believe that this gentleman may become the next target." The screen showed a picture of a middle-aged man with his silver hair in a ponytail and green eyes being photographed at a fashion show. The girls gasped.

"That's Fabio Balducci!" Clover squealed. "I've bought a whole lot of his designs!"

"We'll be guarding him?" Sam asked.

"Wow!" Alex said in surprise.

"Precisely," Jerry said. "It is possible that he may be next on our kidnapper's list."

"What makes you say that?" Takada asked.

Jerry explained, "The victims had all been kidnapped in an order ranging from their fame as well as the popularity of their work," Jerry said. "Next to Ryuki's mother, he is the most famous designer on the planet."

"I'd vouch for that," Clover raised her hand.

"Good," Jerry nodded. "You'll be leaving for Italy tonight on one of WOOHP's private jets. Your gadgets will also be provided for you."

"Tonight?" Ryuki asked. It seemed too soon but then they were close to finding his mother. They knew who had taken her, but they did not know where she was being kept.

"You'll all be going undercover as reporters for a fashion magazine," Jerry said and Takada responded by grinning.

"Will we be going into the dressing room?" Takada asked. All the other stared at him. "Just checking!"

Jerry coughed into his hand, "Anyway, I hope you luck. We may be able to crack this case yet! Goodbye!"

The couch flipped backwards into another hole that had just opened up as the 6 teens screamed.

"I love my job," Jerry said as he sat back in his chair.


	6. Chapter 5: Party

"Man," Takada snickered as he got comfy on the flying jet. "You girls get to use your own jet whenever you go on missions? Ichijyo never lets us do that. He's way too cheap."

"No, he just doesn't let _you_ near them," Tazuka corrected. "Remember what happened when you convinced him to test out that new jet fuel?"

"Hey!" Takada cried. "It would have worked perfectly fine! There were just a few bugs!"

"Ano," Ryuki frowned. "Didn't you bring the plane to life somehow and it tried to kill us?

"So my fuel messed with the electronics onboard and created a homicidal AI," Takada shrugged. "We all survived, didn't we?"

"And destroyed one of Smart Brain's private airports in the process," Tazuka nodded. "Ichijyo's ban is _still_ in effect, however."

"The cheap snake," Takada growled.

The Spies only watched as their prospective boyfriends talked back and forth about one of their past adventures. They weren't sure how a plane could be brought to life, but they've seen some freakier things during their employment with WOOHP.

The Spies were currently dressed in some formal wear which was best suited for the party they were going to. Clover was donned in a red dress which hugged her body in all the right places and had Takada drooling when he first saw her in it. Sam's green dress was more formal as it reached down to her ankles, but Tazuka gave her an appreciative eye as he saw her for the first time in it. Alex was in something sportier, a yellow dress which was looser and allowed her to move more freely. She also had yellow gloves which reached up to her upper arms. Ryuki blushed when he finally saw her in it.

The boys each had their own tuxedos on. Tazuka's had a blue tint to it with a shark symbol over the breast pocket with a blue carnation that matched. Takada's suit was mainly black with a blue rose coming from his dog embroidered pocket. Ryuki's was red tinted with a normal rose and dragon symbol. His goggles were also gone since this was a formal event and his hair had been combed back properly before he tied it into a braid. A pair of bangs did stick out and frame his face. Tazuka and Takada kept their hair the same.

Ryuki was still fumbling with his tie as he tried to get it on. He never could figure it out and his sister, mother, or bodyguards always ended up having to do it for him no matter how many times they tried to teach him.

"Need help, Leo?" Alex asked curiously as she noticed Ryuki struggling with the strip of cloth.

"I can't get this stupid bowtie on!" Ryuki complained as he tried to get the thing on.

Alex giggled and offered, "Here, let me." She reached up to fix the tie.

"You're very good at this," he complimented.

"Comes with practice," Alex smiled. "I'm surprised you don't know how to put on one of these."

"I was never a fan of these sorts of social gatherings. While I do attend my mother's fashion shows, I prefer to be elsewhere during the party," he said. He couldn't stand being around a bunch of society snobs. Alex could understand.

Clover then said, "You know, you guys haven't exactly shown us your own gadgets. Do you even have any?"

"We do, and I'll be glad to show you." Takada smirked as he rolled back his sleeve to reveal a wrist watch. Tazuka and Ryuki knew he would start bragging. He always did when it came to Smart Brain's tech. He did help develop a few. "Ladies, this is the SB-Watch. It may look like a normal watch, but I assure you, it isn't." he began showing the girls the many options it had. "It's a 2-way communicator, GPS tracking device, voice synthesizer (he demonstrated this by making himself sound like Sean Connery), and holographic generator." The final option was demonstrated when he generated a full holographic version of himself.

"Wow, that's cool!" Alex spoke, impressed.

"And this, ladies, is the SB-Cell," Takada proclaimed as he pulled out a cell phone from his pocket. It had Smart Brain's emblem on it too. "This handy little phone comes equipped with a scanner, wireless internet capabilities, a memory eraser and can also be turned into a ray gun." He flipped the phone open and changed it into gun mode by pushing the top over the side. "Ta-dah!"

"All Smart Brain Operatives have them," Tazuka said.

Sam heard the mention of a memory eraser and decided to ask "A memory eraser?"

"Well, at times, there are some things we need to keep secret," Ryuki explained, pulling out his own SB-Cell. He pointed at the small camera lens. "The flash from the lens will erase any pre-selected memory we want within a given time-frame. It's really handy." Of course, the last time Ryuki'd used it, it'd caused him pain.

"WOOHP sometimes has to do that," Sam nodded. "One time Arnold got this weird ring which let him suck the coolness out of people. He was going to turn all of California into geeks until we stopped him. His memory then got wiped."

"You mean Arnold was a super villain?" Takada blinked. He then started to snicker at the thought. "I guess it takes all kinds."

Over with Ryuki and Alex, the dark-skinned girl had finished putting the tie on Ryuki properly.

"There," Alex smiled. "All done,"

"Arigatou," Ryuki smiled.

"It's no problem," Alex smiled. She then gripped the lapels of Ryuki's jacket. "Now, c'mere."

Alex tugged on Ryuki's jacket and pulled him close. Ryuki was caught off guard as she planted a soft kiss on his cheek. She could feel his skin heating up underneath her lips before she drew back. Ryuki's face had turned bright red. She couldn't help but giggle a little at how cute he looked.

"Hmm," Clover smiled as she observed the kiss. "That looks like fun."

"I admit that was fun," Takada admitted with a grin as he recalled the soft kisses he and the blonde had shared only hours before. "I take it you're after a repeat performance?"

"You suggested it and not me," Clover giggled as she leaned up to Takada and began another round of soft kisses.

"Some self-control, please?" Sam sighed as she saw her two friends flirting with two of the Riders.

"Let them have their fun," Tazuka chuckled. "Alex would be good for him and Takada fits Clover rather well."

"Oh?" Sam blinked. "What do you mean Alex would be good for Leo?"

"Well," Tazuka sighed. He then started whispering so only Sam could hear him. "Leo and I were on a mission in Canada. Ryuki met a girl there and they began a relationship. Unfortunately she got involved in the mission and had to have her memory erased. Ryuki decided that she would be safer if she didn't remember him or that they even had a relationship."

"Oh my gosh!" Sam gasped. Poor Leo! Sam couldn't even imagine the world of hurt that Leo went through when he made that decision. Still…

"He's not having Alex replace her is he?" Sam asked in concerned.

"More like Alex is trying to start her own relationship," Tazuka snickered. "Otouto is much too kind to do that to a girl. Alex is actually one of the few girls who have gotten to a relationship level with him."

"And Alex hasn't had that much luck with guys either," Sam sighed. "It's good to see her with a guy who really likes her back."

"Ryuki-kun is an honest for goodness and genuinely kind person," Tazuka said. "He's not a poser and he doesn't possess any ulterior motives for dating a girl. He does it because he likes the girl, not because he wants anything out of it." He chuckled, remembering how Ryuki had so many girls chasing him back home. "He's one of the rare ones, I give you that."

"I believe you," Sam nodded. "And what about Takada?"

"While Takada is vain, shallow and a bit of a braggart, he's actually a good person," Tazuka said. He wasn't going to add that his friend had trouble staying faithful to a single girl. It wasn't right to badmouth his fellow Rider. However, he may give a subtle warning to Clover so she could keep a firm hold on Takada's 'leash'. "He's a genius as well, despite the numerous mishaps and misadventures his inventions cause."

"You mean like the jet fuel that brought a plane to life?" Sam asked.

"Let's just say if he asks you to come to the lab to show you something, run the _other_ way," Tazuka joked. Sam giggled. Takada heard the joke and grumbled.

"Oh, sure, accidentally blow up a school building and nobody lets you forget it!" Takada said.

"You blew up a school?" Clover asked.

"Our school," Ryuki began to explain, "Takada was showing us this new invention he had just made and it accidentally exploded, blowing up a large portion of our school. Fortunately, no one was hurt but a lot of the students had to be transferred temporarily to other schools until repairs were done." He looked towards Tazuka, "That's when we found Tazuka-niisan."

"I still say Ichijyo was just overreacting," Takada shrugged.

"Well, you're not the son of the school's owner," Ryuki pointed out.

Alex looked out the window. "Hey, we're already here!"

"Just in time too," Tazuka said, checking his watch. "The event starts in half an hour."

"How does my hair look?" Clover asked Takada.

"Lovely as always," the Rider smiled. Clover blushed at the compliment.

Ryuki informed them, "Ichijyo's already arranged a ride for us."

* * *

The large black limousine pulled up in front of the 5-Star Hotel where the event was being held. The limo had Smart Brain's emblem on the driver's side door. The chauffeur, an employee of Smart Brain, came out of the limo and went to open the door for the passengers. Clover and Takada came out first, her arm hooked around his. Next was Alex and Ryuki who were holding hands and finally Tazuka and Sam with their hands clasped together.

This was a big event. It was charity thing. Fabio Balducci was a known nature lover and his designs reflected on his love for animals. He was against the use of fur coats to create his line of clothing, which resembled animal skins in appearance and feeling but were in trust synthetic fibers. He was still made famous by this and was filthy rich as well.

The charity fashion show was also an auction. After all the designs were displayed, there would be an auction, selling off the new exclusive designs. The money would go to all of the nature charities that Fabio supported.

The hotel was closed off to the public and there was a bouncer holding a list. Those without invitations would have their names listed and those who didn't would be kicked out on their rear.

The Spies and Riders approached the door, wearing press badges. The boys were holding cameras. Luckily for them, they had been given invitation by their bosses. Of course, for Ryuki, that wasn't really necessary seeing who his mother was.

"Invitations," the bouncer demanded, holding out a hand. The Spies and Riders handed them over. He checked them, "OK, you're all clear." But then he counted them. Only 5 invitations. He pointed at Ryuki, "Hey, where's your invitation?"

"Please inform them that Ryuki Leonard Hasuma has also arrived," Ryuki said calmly. He hated using his family influence but it did gain him some advantages.

The bouncer read the list and nearly had a heart attack. His mother's name was there and under it was his name as well. "Right, Mr. Hasuma! You and your friends can go right in!"

They entered and Alex said, impressed, "Wow, that was awesome."

Ryuki rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Well, being the son of a rich and famous designer does come with some perks."

"Lucky bastard," Takada muttered. Ichijyo and Ryuki both belonged to prestigious and influential families. Ichijyo's family was known in the business world while Ryuki's family was known in both the realms of martial arts and fashion. Takada was only known for, infamously, in the world of science and even that didn't get him many fans.

"Oh, lighten up," Clover giggled.

"We are supposed to be undercover here," Tazuka frowned.

"Might not work so well with me," Ryuki shook his head. "Most of the people here probably know me because of my mother. Okaasan has this habit of showing me and my sister off."

"She's just proud of you," Takada said. "And maybe get you a rich girlfriend."

"I can get a girlfriend on my own," Ryuki crossed his arms.

"I agree," said Alex, leaning against Ryuki's arm with a smile.

They then entered into the main ballroom where the event was being held. A lot of high society types were there in their expensive clothing and large amount of jewelry.

"OK, team, we need to watch over Fabio. Jerry says he might be the next target for the kidnapper," Sam said, seriously.

"Well, we could enjoy the party too," said Takada as both he and Clover moved towards the punch bowl.

"Just keep your eyes and ears open for anything suspicious," said Tazuka.

"Hai, niisan," Ryuki nodded.

"Got it, Tazuka," Takada nodded. He stared into the glass he was holding and could see Cerberus and Darkwing in the reflection.

Tazuka looked over to a collection of ice sculptures resembling animals and could see Overbite, Sharkhan and Stingdiver flying past in the reflections. Ryuki could see his own collection of Zodiac Beasts in the clean and shiny walls of the main ball room.

Fabio took the stage as all the guests listened. He spoke into the microphone, "I'd like to thank you all for attending this event. Nothing makes me happier than to see so many people care for the animals."

Ryuki rolled his eyes. The only reason some of the people here attended was because it benefited them in their rich and overly-materialistic world.

"After my show, I expect to see everyone ready to buy my designs when the auction begins," Fabio said. "Until then, please enjoy the food and beverages. "Thank you." He stepped off the stage as the crowd began to mingle.

Tazuka spoke into his SB-Watch to Takada, "Anything?"

Takada was taking pictures as Clover looked around. "No, nothing on my end. How about you, Draco?"

Ryuki was with Alex, sitting at a table as they took some food. "Still nothing yet, but I'm keeping my eyes peeled for any signs of trouble. Fabio is still in my sights."

"Good, don't lose him," said Tazuka again. "Jawz out."

Ryuki looked around and then his eyes widened when he caught something in the corner of his eye. When he turned to look again whatever or whoever it was had gone.

"Something wrong, Leo?" Alex asked in deep concern.

"I thought I saw someone," Ryuki said, rubbing his eyes. '_I could've sworn I saw onee-chan, but she hates these things._'

* * *

Ryuki's eyes hadn't been deceiving him, but Kat had gotten out of his sight quickly. She did not want to be found by her brother. She was in a black dress which left her shoulders bare and a black choker which accented her neck.

She had spotted her brother and quickly made herself scarce. She didn't want to be noticed and her attitude was not helped by being at the party. She especially didn't appreciate some of the leering looks that some of the men in the room were sending her. At least when one of the rare women checked her out they were polite and discrete about it.

She heaved a sigh to clear her head. '_Keep calm. This is no time to let my feelings at him get in the way. Mama is in trouble and if he's on the job then I can get some help. Simple as that._'

She spied her brother who was sitting with some girl she hadn't met before. On one hand she was upset that her brother went dating in the middle of this crisis, but her sisterly side was relieved that her little brother seemed to be in a happy relationship. Her eyes scanned the area. Tazuka was there and so was Takada, both with some new girls. She hissed as she saw Takada. Their relationship hadn't exactly ended on the best of terms. She needed to stay out of their sights so that she could carry out her own mission.

Kat cast her eyes at the glass she was holding and saw her Alpha Zodiac Beast, Techno Panther, staring right at her. She knew that if the kidnapper showed up, she would be alerted.

The lights then dimmed and music began to play. Spotlights were dancing around as Fabio took the stage. He was about to present his new collection. Leaning against a wall, she decided to see if he had anything worthwhile. In her opinion, the other designers didn't have anything that would interest her. Her only admiration was for her mama.

* * *

The models paraded on stage, showing off the many dresses and outfits Fabio had designed. They were based on animal skins without the use of animals. There were leopard spots, white tiger stripes, zebra stripes, and many other popular faux animal skin clothes being showed off. Takada was snapping pictures of the models. They were gorgeous and Ryuki could identify a few his mother had employed in the past. The guests all applauded as they saw the designs on stage. Fabio had done his best to introduce them and to give a short summary of his inspiration. He was a true animal lover.

The show was soon over and the models were all lined up in their outfits. Fabio was starting the auction now.

The Riders then regrouped.

"Anything?" Tazuka asked.

"Still nothing," Takada responded with a shake of his head. "No signs of anything suspicious."

"Well, I thought I saw onee-chan," said Ryuki. "But maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me."

"Keep that in mind," Tazuka commented. "We'll see about that fact later. Other than her, anything else you think might be strange?"

"Nothing," Ryuki answered.

"Keep watch then," Tazuka ordered before he, Takada, and Ryuki split in different directions. As they were meeting, the Spies were also having their own conversation through their X-Powders.

"Where'd Leo go?" asked Clover.

"I think he saw someone he recognized," Alex answered. "I'm not sure who though."

"Hmm, do get the feeling they know something we don't?" asked Sam.

"Well, duh!" Clover frowned. "Of course they do! We're all in the spy business after all! They probably just aren't allowed to tell us."

"Probably," Alex nodded. "But it would just be our luck if they turned out to be double agents or something."

No one laughed at Alex's joke.

The show continued without a hitch. There were no major disturbances beyond someone spilling a drink by accident. The fur designs went off without a hitch, but the next series of designs were the reptile skin designs. It was when a model came out in a chameleon themed outfit that things got dicey.

The familiar ringing noise echoed through the ears of the three Riders, signaling the arrival of Mirror Monsters. All three heard their contracts reacting and heading towards the source.

"Uh oh," Takada gulped as he saw Cerberus and Darkwing racing away.

The source of the noise was from one of the overhead windows. The glass began to ripple before two creatures fell from it and landed in the middle of the audience. They were green and humanoid with chameleon-like attributes. They also looked very dangerous.

"Biomeleons!" Ryuki hissed as he saw them. He then threw off his tuxedo, revealing that he was wearing his uniform underneath.

"Huh?" Alex blinked. He knew what they were called?

Takada was already out of his seat as he went to face the Biomeleons, throwing off his tuxedo to reveal his uniform. The Biomeleons were tricky and if they lost sight of the two then they would be vulnerable to a sneak attack since they could blend into the walls. At the shocking sight of the two monsters, the guests started to panic.

In the midst of the chaos, Fabio was being taken away by his bodyguards. They didn't get too far before a pair of shuriken were suddenly embedded in their necks, dropping the dark suited pair.

From above, two people dressed up as ninjas dropped to the ground. Both of them were covered in green. One was male while the other was female. Their faces were covered and had chameleon-like goggles on. Both also had a Gemini symbol on the left side of their chests.

"You're coming with us," The male hissed before the female suddenly whipped a rope around Fabio, ensnaring him.

"So come quietly," spoke the female.

"Mirage! Façade!" spoke a stern voice.

Both ninjas turned to see the voice and saw Tazuka in his Rider uniform, having thrown off his tuxedo, ready for a fight.

"Oh, brother, look who it is," said the female, Façade, chuckling.

The male, Mirage, snorted, "It is only the fortune teller, dear sister. Nothing to worry about."

"Let the man go," Tazuka ordered, reaching for his SB-Cell.

"Sorry, Jawz, but we can't do that," Mirage said.

"You see, my brother and I are on a prior engagement so we cannot be delayed," Façade added. Tazuka aimed his SB-Cell, now in gun mode, at the two mercenaries.

"I wasn't asking," Tazuka said, readying himself for anything.

"And we weren't obeying," Mirage frowned before Façade tipped her head. That was when one of the Biomeleons lashed out with its tongue and knocked the phone from Tazuka's hand from behind. As Tazuka recovered from the attack, Mirage and Façade vanished from behind a smoke bomb, taking Fabio with them.

Tazuka frowned and turned to see the Biomeleon which had attacked him. The two reptilian Mirror Monsters were now lashing wildly at the panicking audience, which were struggling to get away from the two monsters.

Both Ryuki and Takada knew they had to get involved. They couldn't transform in the middle of all these people and their contracts couldn't get involved unless it was taken to the Mirror World. Still, they had some abilities.

Clover herself was very much scared of the weird creatures which were attacking, but she also knew that these things were not going to stop. So it was up to her and her friends to make them stop.

"Hey, stop, whatever you are!" Clover shouted, now in her red spy suit. She had on the Cat-Fight gloves and the claws came out. The Biomeleons regarded her for a moment before one of them lashed at her with its tongue. She was able to leap out of the way, doing a perfect somersault. "Hah, is that all you got?" They then shimmered away from view. "Huh?"

"Clover, watch out!" Takada yelled as he pushed her out of the way. Suddenly, one of the Biomeleons reappeared lashed its tongue out and wrapped it around Takada's neck. It was trying to crush his throat. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.

The second Biomeleon was stuck to the ceiling using its sticky hands and feet. Its eyes rolled around for a suitable target and found two female humans. One had red hair and wearing green while the other had dark skin wearing yellow. Its tongue hung out hungrily before it shot the appendage at its target.

"ALEX-CHAN!" Alex heard Ryuki yell before he planted himself in front of her. He grabbed the tongue in his hand. Alex stared but then her eyes widened when Ryuki's free hand was engulfed in flames. "This is for okaasan!" Ryuki yelled before throwing a fireball at the Biomeleon. The monster let out a pain filled cry as the fireball hit it. Ryuki turned to see Alex staring at him. "You want an explanation, right?"

Takada, meanwhile, was struggling with the Biomeleon that had its tongue around his neck. He had his SB-Cell in gun mode and firing at the monster. It was shot several times before realizing that this was not worth the trouble. It let go of Takada before jumping into a window, disappearing into a rippling portal. Its twin followed it.

Sam went to look for Tazuka and he was frowning. "They got away, huh?" Sam stated the obvious.

"With Fabio too," Tazuka frowned.

"There goes our lead," Sam sighed.

"Yeah," Clover sighed. She then turned to the boys. "But how the heck did you guys do what you did? That thing should have crushed your neck, Takada."

"Yeah!" Alex nodded quickly. "How'd you throw that fireball, Leo?"

"Um…Ano…" Ryuki gulped nervously.

"It's their special skills," Tazuka answered. "Much like my clairvoyance, otouto and Takada have abilities of their own. Ryuki possesses pyrokinesis while Takada in indestructible."

"No way!" Clover gasped. "That's incredible!"

"That's so cool, Leo!" Alex squealed. Not only was the guy good looking, kind, gentle, and cool, but he was unique too!

Sam frowned slightly as she heard the explanation. They sounded reasonable to her, but there was still something she felt they needed to know, "Okay, since secrets are coming out, why don't you guys tell us who those ninjas were."

Now it was crunch time. Takada knew he had to keep Ryuki's mouth shut because the boy couldn't lie period. The young genius was much better at it but Tazuka would be the one who was best at it since he could keep things vague.

"They are called Mirage and Façade," Tazuka answered coolly. "They are mercenaries who sell their services to the highest bidder."

"But how do they move through glass and what were those things with them?" asked Clover.

"Their armor is a special suit which allows them to pass into a kind of mirror world," Tazuka explained, making it sound like he was talking about reports. "As far as we know, that world is populated by creatures which are tamable. Like those chameleons with them that we've dubbed as Biomeleons. Those two also have powers of illusion. We've dealt with them before."

"Then why didn't you tell us about them before?" asked Alex. She was slightly confused why such a big secret was kept from them.

"We decided not to because all files concerning them are classified," Tazuka answered. "We had orders to keep it that way until we had confirmation that it was them. Once we did then we were allowed to tell you all we know."

"Well," Sam sighed. As much as she knew that Tazuka had valid reasons for this secret, she still felt a little agitated that he kept it. "I'd say it's confirmed. Now, what are we going to do about it?"

"I think I have an idea," Takada grinned.

Tazuka tuned everyone out as Takada explained some lie about how he might be able to track them when he was just having the Mirror Monsters they had follow them. At the moment, Tazuka was feeling another vision coming on. He could se it clearly as usual, but the images foretold danger. It seemed things were going to get dicey.

Just their luck.


	7. Chapter 6: Rescue

The Riders, unknown to the Spies, were actually keeping in contact with their monsters and with the link were able to locate where the two Gemini Ninjas had gone. However, they feared that it was a trap. Unfortunately, they didn't have much of a lead so they had to go where the Gemini Ninjas had, allegedly, taken their kidnapped victims.

The 6 agents stood in front of a warehouse in front of a harbor. Under the moonlight the water sparkled with the reflection of the stars.

"You know," Alex said, "It's kinda insensitive to say this but this place really looks beautiful this time of night."

"Alex, get serious," Sam scolded. "Tazuka, are you sure they're here?"

The Spies had just found out the boys they were assigned to work with had special abilities. Tazuka was clairvoyant, Ryuki was a pyrokinetic and Takada was indestructible. The girls didn't consider them weird and freakish, much to their relief, but really cool. With that secret out of the way and the girls fully informed of who the kidnappers were and what they were capable of, they set of to find and rescue the kidnapped designers.

Ryuki was clenching and unclenching his fists as he stood in front of the doors of the warehouse. He could see, in the corner of his eye, Dragonzer's image within the reflection of a small puddle. If Dragonzer was here, along with their other Zodiac Beasts, they knew there were close.

"Alright, let's open it up," Takada said as he cracked his knuckles. Ryuki and Tazuka went to lift up the warehouse door.

"Careful, you two," Tazuka warned, "This might be a trap."

"There are always traps," Takada said nonchalantly, "And we always get out. It's not like we've never faced danger before."

"But, Takada-san, we have to protect the girls too and they can't do what we can," Ryuki said. Takada knew what his younger friend was referring to. Takada nodded in agreement. The three Riders then pushed the sliding door up and entered, the Spies followed with them.

Ryuki produced a flame to create some light for them to see. Alex strode up next to him, smiling. "Wow, you really are hot. I though you were before but not literally."

"Atigatou," Ryuki nodded at the compliment.

The lights in the warehouse didn't seem to work so they had to depend on Ryuki for lightning. What they didn't know was that they were being watched. A surveillance camera seemed to follow their every direction.

Takada stiffened. Clover asked, in concern, "What is it?"

"I heard something," he told her.

"I didn't hear anything," she replied. He pointed to his ears.

"Let's just say I have a higher than normal sense of hearing," Takada explained. "Not to mention smell. You have a really nice perfume."

Clover smiled, "Thanks! I just got it!"

"Seriously, people!" Sam scowled. "We are on a mission here!"

"Sam's right. People's lives are at stake here," Tazuka said, frowning at his teammates. His eyes began to glow again. It seemed eerie under the limited lighting they had. "Follow me."

As they went in deeper, a dark figure skulked after them. The figure, judging from the curves, was female and her eyes glowed with an unnaturally gleam. They were like cat eyes and her movements mimicked the female perfectly. They were swift and graceful at the same time. She was able to sneak around the cameras and remain undetected as she followed after the agents.

Tazuka pressed his hand against the wall and then found and impression. He looked towards the others as they began to sweat nervously. Ryuki's flame was starting to flicker in and out as they breathed. Though Tazuka was clairvoyant, he could never see the entire future. There were twists and turns and nothing was concrete. Sam then walked over and put on the M-Ray contacts. She could see a doorway behind a hidden door and the place Tazuka had his hand on was the button to open the door.

"OK, there's a door," Sam said. "Do it."

"And get ready for anything," Clover said.

"Totally," Alex gulped.

"Maybe I should do it," Takada said as he stepped forward. "If it's a trap than none of you will get hurt."

"But you might get hurt," Clover said worriedly before receiving deadpan looks from her friends. "Oh, I forgot. You're indestructible." Smiling at Clover, Takada walked over and pressed on the impression. They all stiffened and then the door slid open. They sighed with relief.

"Be careful, everyone," Tazuka said before entering, "We're in enemy territory now. That means they'll be traps.

"OK, then I'm the first in line then," Takada volunteered. "At least nothing they can do can kill me." They then proceeded to walk into the corridor. They wee lights so they no longer needed Ryuki's flame to light the way.

With Takada in front waiting for any traps, the Spies and Riders walked through the tunnel. Aside from the extremely cleans and shiny walls that reflected their appearance, they hadn't seen anything too out of the ordinary.

"Wow, I can totally see myself," Clover said, posing in front of the wall.

Sam and Alex rolled their eyes.

Alex's foot stepped onto a tile and it sank into the floor. She then realized what she'd done, "Uh-oh."

Suddenly, a door slammed shut behind them and then another one not too far in front of them also slammed shut. It was a trap!

"OK, so now we're prisoners," Takada said. He was actually calm about it. I mean, locking _them_ up? It's not like they couldn't escape. Suddenly, the walls began to move slowly closing in on them.

"OK, we're, like, totally doomed," Clover said as she watched the walls closing in on them.

"We may be trapped like rats, and our gadgets may not work in this situation," Sam said before realization hit her, "You're right, we're doomed!" There was no way out!

Alex began to cry, "Girls, being friends with you and working with you has been the best years of my life!" She cried louder, "And now we're going to die!"

As the girls began to huddle closer to share their last hug, the Riders didn't seem fazed. They looked more like they were bored or resigned to what was happening. Had they given up already?

"Crushing walls," Takada said, "How original. Of course, since she's stealing ideas from other designers, I doubt she had anything original to begin with."

"Well, might as well do it now, right?" Tazuka said. "It was bound to happen."

"Hai!" Ryuki said.

The girls watched as the Riders stood side by side, unfazed by the walls closing in and then pulled belts out of nowhere. They were identical in shape and form, with metal straps and a crystal color coded for each of them locked into place in the centre of the buckles. They then swung on the belts around their waists and then snapped them on securely.

The girls could only watch the boys as they seemed so calm about impending doom. They just couldn't understand why they weren't freaking out like the girls were. It made no sense!

"What are they doing?" Sam asked as she watched what was about to unfold. She watched as each of them pulled out a rectangular case. Takada's had a dog emblem on it, Ryuki's had a dragon and Tazuka's bore the emblem of Pisces.

"Henshin!" the three Riders shouted as one before they snapped the cases onto the right side of their belts.

"Zodiac Force! Dragon!" Ryuki called.

"Zodiac Force! Dog!" Takada called.

"Zodiac Force! Pisces!" Tazuka called.

Simultaneously, colorful lights exploded from their belts. Ryuki was suddenly engulfed in fire as both Takada and Tazuka were covered with wind and water, respectively. The Spies could only watch in silent awe as the Riders changed before their eyes.

The flames, water and winds dispersed leaving the boys clad in suits of armor.

Ryuki's armor was red with a silver chestplate and a dragon symbol on it and worn over a red bodysuit. He also had on red metal boots with silver trimmings and matching red gauntlets with silver trimmings as well. An armguard in the shape of a dragonhead was strapped to his left forearm. His head was encased by a helmet with a silver headpiece that had a dragon emblem on it too. His face was covered by a silver faceplate and round green eyepieces.

Takada's armor was a blend between a medieval knight and the Dark Knight of Gotham. It was mainly black with a silver chestplate and shoulder-guards that pointed upwards. His gauntlets and boots were black. His helmet was black with a silver visor that had multiple vertical slits on it to allow him to see and sharp points to emulate ears. Holstered at his left hip was a sword that had a dog symbol on the handle. His armor was worn over a midnight blue bodysuit. Hanging down his back was a black cape with a high collar.

Tazuka's armor was a lot more elaborate. It was blue and white with a gold 'X' on his chest and worn over a black bodysuit. In the centre of the 'X' was a circle holding the symbol of Pisces. His boots and gauntlets were aqua blue and white. He had fins on his shoulders. His helmet was mainly aqua blue with a white faceplate and 'Y' shaped black visor. Fins flanked his helmet and there was a third one on top. Equipped to his left forearm, like Ryuki, was a shield resembling a hammer head shark.

Zodiac Knight Draco, Zodiac Knight Pluto and Zodiac Knight Jawz, now stood together to face all evil.

This was the reason they were called the 'Masked Riders'.

"Takada-san, niisan!" Draco ordered, "Take care of the walls."

"Right!" the two blue Riders nodded before going towards opposite walls and began pushing them.

"Woah," Clover gasped quietly as she saw the boys in the suits. "Like, how'd they do that?"

Sam could hear the machinery pushing the walls beginning to strain. The metal screech was very distinctive. "Who cares!" she cried. "They're actually stopping it!" The armor the Riders were wearing actually enhanced their strength.

"Leo looks so cool in his armor," Alex sighed wistfully. The green eyes on the helmet were like emeralds. Just like his real eyes.

As Jawz and Pluto pushed at the walls, digging their heels into the floor as they did it, Draco reached into the deck case attached to his belt. He pulled out a card which depicted a vicious looking cannon styled after a dragon's head. He then slid it into his gauntlet.

"Shoot Vent," he whispered under his breath. There was distinct roaring sound as he did it. The Spies looked around for the source of the roar. Pluto and Jawz were smiling under their helmets.

"Like, what was that?" Clover asked. For once, Sam didn't have all the answers. The suits of armor were just so unbelievable looking that she was struck speechless.

Alex's eyes focused on Draco as a cannon appeared on his right arm in a flash. Actually, the cannon had engulfed his arm up to the elbow, looking like he had a dragon's head and neck for an arm instead. She continued to watch as Draco aimed the cannon at the locked doors. He looked over his shoulder and said to the Spies, "You might want to step back, and brace yourselves." The Spies did as told as Draco began to concentrate. A bright flaming ball of energy began to form within his cannon as he prepared his attack. Jawz and Pluto were struggling with keeping the walls apart as they continued to push against them.

"Anytime…now…kid!" Pluto struggled as he continued to push. His feet were dragging on the floor as he tried to dig in his heel.

"Hurry up, otouto!" Jawz called. His eyes flashed. He just hoped Ryuki would follow his prediction.

The fireball grew to the side of a large beach ball before he reared his arm back and threw it forward with a yell, "HAH!" The fireball was sent hurling towards the door and exploded, there was a lot of smoke but it cleared out through the large hole Draco had created. He then helped Pluto and Jawz keep the walls separate.

"GIRLS! MOVE IT!" Jawz yelled. Getting the message, the Spies ran past the Riders towards the hole Draco had created. The path between the two walls was getting narrower and narrower.

The Spies had successfully gotten out through the hole. "You guys have to get out of there!" Sam shouted. They didn't look like they could hold on much longer.

"We'll be fine!" Pluto shouted. "Go, now!"

"We're not leaving you!" Clover shouted. "There's still time!"

"We'll meet up with you, trust us!" Draco shouted as he held the wall with the last bit of his strength.

It wasn't enough.

The walls slammed together, crushing the Riders.

The shock struck the girls, hard.

Clover dropped to her knees as her eyes widened, tears starting to fall down her cheeks. Sam's knees were about to buckle as well as she shook her head in denial. Alex, was shaking, holding her head as tears filled her eyes.

"No…he can't be…" Alex screamed, "LEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"No, no, no, no, no," Sam repeated over and over. This couldn't be happening. She didn't even want to admit that it did. Right before her eyes the boys had just been crushed between two walls. It wasn't fair! Just when they met guys they wouldn't have to lie to, they get killed.

"Takada," Clover sniffed as she struggled not to cry. She really couldn't help herself though. She and the young genius really seemed to connect and now he was gone in the blink of an eye.

"Leo!" Alex bawled. Just like that, someone she really thought she could have a relationship with, or at least be good friends with, was gone. He'd been crushed by those walls and sacrificed himself to save her and her friends. Alex just couldn't hold her pain in as she started to cry. "It's all my fault!"

Sam looked over to her distraught friend and pulled her close, "No it isn't. You don't have anything to feel sorry about."

"Yes I do!" Alex cried. "I'm the one who set the trap off! I'm always doing things like that! Now it got them killed!"

Alex broke out into hysterical tears as she covered her face. Their friends were dead and it was all her fault. As she was crying, her two friends wrapped her up in a hug, letting their tears flow.

"It's okay, Alex," Clover whispered. "We don't blame you for what happened and I'm sure the boys wouldn't either."

They knew from the start that being Spies was dangerous. They knew the risks and still did their jobs. Right now, they were facing one of the realities of the secret agent business. To be killed in action.

Sam wiped away her tears and said to her friends, "We need to keep going and complete the mission. They would have wanted it that way."

"But…I'm scared," Clover shook, holding herself. "They're gone. They sacrificed themselves to save us."

"We have to," Alex said, eyes still watering with tears. "We have to rescue those prisoners. For Leo and the guys. We can't let them die in vain."

The Spies then got back to their feet. They would not forget the sacrifice on the three brave Riders who had given up their lives to save them.

* * *

Helga watched through one the monitors, the two ninjas flanking her. Her trap had worked, well, sorta. At least the boys that were with the Spies were gone so now they were left in a distraught state.

"Everything is going as planned," Helga rubbed her hands together. "Even if those girls get here, they'll be too depressed to stop me." She turned and laughed, hands to her hips. "Soon, the fashion world will be mine once more!" She cackled.

"And when that happens, we'll get paid," Mirage said.

"Well said, brother," Façade complimented.

The room they were in had various monitors but what really took attention were several chairs where the designers were sitting in. Their hands and legs wee bound by metal shackles as helmets were forced onto their heads with cables and wires attached to a computer console. They all wore blank expressions on their faces as the computer began operating. One of them was Ryuki's mother.

"It was just so simple," Helga said as she strode over the captured designers. "Capture the most famous designers in the world and then siphon their ideas." She walked over to a helmet and put it on her own head. She pressed a button and purred. "Oh, yes! That's right! Fill me with your ideas Yes! Yes! YES!"

Mirage and Façade were disgusted with their current employer. The only reason they were even working for her these past few weeks was because of the offer the had been given. Helga had also paid them half of the amount, upfront, to buy them over. Once they were done here, they would move onto other jobs.

The only satisfaction was that the three Riders were gone for good.

The sounds of metallic doors sliding open announced the arrival of the Spies. Helga smirked as she saw their angry faces, but they also looked distraught at the demise of their little boyfriends.

"Why, hello again," Helga smirked. "How have you been since we last met?"

"Stow it, Helga!" Sam hissed. "You went to far this time! We're taking you in once and for all!"

"I doubt that," Helga snickered. "After all, I'm about to become the most popular designer in the world!"

"Like, what do you mean?" asked Clover.

"It's simple," Helga explained. "I am going to drain the ideas from all these popular designers and take their ideas for myself. I'll be a goddess among the fashion world! I'll be so rich I can buy off any jury who goes against me!"

"Not if we stop you first!" Alex retorted before she got ready to fight.

"You can try," Helga smirked. "Mirage! Façade! Get rid of these pests."

"With pleasure," the twins nodded before they began walking towards the Spies.

As they walked closer, the two ninjas summoned belts which the three girls could recognize as the same kind that the Riders had been using to change. Both twins then brought out green cases and held them out.

"Zodiac Force!" both ninjas cried. "Gemini!"

The twins snapped their cases onto their belts before both were engulfed in thick green smoke. It slowly began to clear, but now Mirage and Façade were donned in their armor, resembling chameleons.

"I am going to enjoy this," Mirage snickered.

"Oh, so much," Façade nodded.

Both Knights made a hand seal in front of the girls before their visors, resembling chameleon eyes, began to glow. The light then suddenly flashed as the Spies became blinded.

Alex was the first to recover before a gloved hand gripped her throat. She sputtered, trying to catch her breath before her eye widened at who she was seeing.

"Leo?" she squeaked.

Zodiac Knight Draco was the one holding her throat so tightly. The problem was that his armor was cracked and there was blood leaking through several of the seams.

Sam and Clover weren't faring any better. Both of them were being held at the neck by the Knight they fancied, but both Knights' armor was chipped, broken, and bleeding. The girls could actually tell that they were looking at zombified versions of the Riders.

"No thanks to you!" Draco gurgled, blood rising in his throat.

"Stupid bimbo!" Pluto growled at Clover. "Can't even do her job right!"

"I thought you were smart!" Jawz added, glaring at Sam. "I guess you aren't that smart after all. Look where it got us."

"It got us killed!" Draco roared. "And it's all your fault!"

"No!" Alex cried, beginning to cry. "I didn't know the trap was there!"

"Thus the point of it being called a trap!" snapped Pluto. "I thought Spies were supposed to be able to detect these things!"

"We overestimated your abilities," Jawz snorted.

"I'm sorry," Clover sobbed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Tazuka…" Sam quietly began to cry.

The Knights didn't listen to the girls' crying. As one, all three planted a kick into their stomachs, sending them sprawling to the floor. As the girls began gasping for air, they began to hear a familiar pair laughing at them. As they looked up, they saw Mirage and Façade laughing at them with the zombified Knights nowhere to be seen.

"How did you like our little show?" asked Mirage.

"Wasn't it a happy reunion?" teased Façade.

"You jerks!" Clover snapped. Her rage began to boil over. "How dare you do that?"

"You just spit on their memory?" Sam growled. "How can you do that?"

"They're dead and you think that's funny?" Alex growled.

"Of course," the twins spoke at once. They both drew a card from their belts. "We're still alive."

Both Knights reached to the chameleon heads on their left thighs and pulled out tongue-like lines with clips on the end. They attached their cards to them before letting the tongues pull the cards into the chameleon heads.

"Hold Vent: Bio-Yoyo!" both twins cried before circular devices that looked like swirling eyes appeared in their hands.

"Time to finish these girls off, brother," spoke Facade as she readied her Bio-Yoyo.

"Gladly, sister," the identically clad Mirage remarked as they set their sights on the Spies. They then hurled their weapons at the girls. At the speed the yoyos were traveling at, they would kill the girls on impact.

Well, they would have if they were allowed to hit.

All of a sudden, a red clad figure leapt in front of the Spies and kicked the first yoyo away before bashing away the second one. Alex's eyes widened as she saw who it was.

"LEO!" she cried out happily in surprise.

Draco turned towards the girls and said, "Didn't I tell you we'd meet up with you?" Alex ran over and hugged him. "Good to see you too, Alex-chan."

The yellow-clad spy had tears in her eyes as she looked into the green eyes of the red Knight. She wiped her tears away and smiled.

"You're alive?" Mirage screamed.

"But how?" Façade questioned, enraged and confused as well.

"Reflective surfaces," Draco said as he let go of Alex and turned his attention towards the two Gemini Knights. "The walls were so clean that you could see your reflection in them."

Mirage and Façade growled. Façade had spoken first, "That moron and her shiny devices."

"Well, at least now we can kill you ourselves!" Mirage roared before rushing towards Draco.

"That's what you think!" someone yelled. Mirage looked up to see Pluto, with his sword drawn, leaping towards him and slashing him across the chest.

"Brother!" Façade yelled out before she was shot in the chest.

"News of our demise has been greatly exaggerated," said Jawz as he appeared, armed with his SB-Cell in Ray Gun Mode. "Sorry we're late, girls," he said.

The Spies ran over to the armored boys and trapped each of them in a powerful hug.

"Don't you dare scare us like that again!" Sam shivered in Jawz's arms. "I thought you were really dead!"

"Sorry," Jawz sighed as he held the relieved and emotionally upset redhead.

"You jerk," Clover sniffed into Pluto's shoulder. "You owe me lots of ice cream to cheer me up with. I thought you'd been killed!"

"I thought I lost you," Alex sobbed into Draco's shoulder. "I thought you were dead and it was all my fault."

"Gomen," Draco apologized. "I'll make it up to you."

Despite the obvious emotional uprising that was part of the tender scene, Mirage and Façade were not in the mood to let their enemies have their little reunion.

"Girls, go and free the prisoners," Jawz said as the Riders turned to face the Gemini Ninjas.

"I owe them for kidnapping okaasan," Draco growled.

"You two do that," Pluto said as he looked at the equipment holding the designers prisoners as well as the helmets which were siphoning their minds of ideas. It looked really complicated and one wrong move could mean disaster. "I'll help the girls."

Draco and Jawz nodded before facing the two Chameleon Knights.

Mirage looked a bit nervous but then he put on a brave face, "Well, at least this lets us finish you off personally!" Mirage threw his Bio-Yoyo at Draco but the Dragon Knight dodged and launched a fireball dead centre into his chest. Mirage screamed as his chest armor exploded from the impact. Enraged, Façade charged and swiped at Draco only to receive a kick in the faceplate from Jawz.

"Ikuzo!" Draco cried as he charged forward, sliding a card into his gauntlet. "Sword Vent: Dragon Flame Saber!"

"Swing Vent: Sting Whip!" Jawz called as he activated his card too. Appearing in his hand was a barbed whip while a saber appeared in Draco's hand.

The two Chameleon Knights were in deep trouble now.

Helga had tried to make her escape only to be stopped by the Spies. She attempted to back away but couldn't find a way out. She tried to fight but one against three wasn't exactly fair odds so she went down, hard. The Spies were handcuffing her as Pluto was at the machine, tapping the keys to release the prisoners.

"Can't you, like, do it any faster?" Clover asked impatiently. Seeing a zombified version of the Knight she was standing next to still chilled her to the bone. At least she knew that this was the real deal and not some sort of illusion.

"I have to be careful," Pluto said. "If I'm not I may fry their brains." He was being really blunt. Clover backed away.

"OK, I'll let you work." She didn't want to spoil his concentration.

Mirage and Façade weren't faring quite well. Whip lashes and sword slashes caused sparks to fly off their armors as the two Knights working for Smart Brain were dealing massive damage on them. Mirage eyes Alex and started to grin. He then pulled out a new card and clipped it to the line before it was pulled into his card reader.

"Final Vent!" he called out as his Biomeleon shimmered into view. The monster threw its tongue at the rafters, allowing it to swing down. Mirage flipped onto his hands and then tongue wrapped around his legs before catapulting him towards Alex. On an armored Knight it was still a potentially fatal move, but on an unprotected human…

"Alex-chan! Nigette!" Draco warned but Alex screamed as Mirage came at her to kill her. However, she was soon taken out of the way as a black blur rushed past and grabbed her before Mirage could. Mirage, seeing that his target had moved, did a flip in mid-air and kicked off the walls before landing on his feet.

"Who dares?" he demanded, enraged that his attack had been interrupted. Everyone in the vicinity turned their eyes towards Alex and the one who rescued her. To say they were surprised was an understatement.

It was Zodiac Knight Copycat.

Copycat let go of Alex and turned to face the crowd. None of the Knights fully trusted her since she was just as bad as Scorpios, if not worse. She would target any and all Knights that got in her way. To her, all were targets. She had no allies and no partners. She was a lone Knight…a very dangerous lone Knight.

She stalked over towards Mirage and slid a card into a slot on the handle of her whip. "Strike Vent: Feline Claws." Large clawed gauntlets appeared on her arms before she charged straight away at the stunned green clad Knight. She then proceeded to slash at him relentlessly, eliciting cries of pain from him.

"Brother!" Façade screamed as she saw her brother in pain. She instantly forgot her battle with Jawz as she charged to save her brother.

"You're next, sweetie!" Copycat hissed as she sent a powerful kick into Mirage's chest, knocking him to the ground. His breathing was labored and he was writhing in pain.

Façade lunged with her Bio-Yoyo, but Copycat cut the string with her claws and charged forward. The feline Knight lay down several slashes across Façade, making her scream. A double-handed stab knocked her down next to her brother.

Copycat dismissed her claws and gripped the Chameleon Knights' throats. Hauling them to their feet, she glared into their visors which she secretly hoped had fear behind them.

"Don't you dare let me catch you near my mama again," she hissed. "Or not only will I take your powers, but I'll take your lives too."

Copycat then dropped the two groaning Knights to the floor again. The Spies could only watch in shock at how viciously she had defeated the two Gemini Knights. Draco and Jawz were watching as she attacked the twins. Even Pluto was stunned.

"Don't gawk at me!" Copycat growled at the Dog Knight. "Get them out of there!"

Her words were enough to stun Pluto out of his shock as he went back to work. For some reason, her level of anger reminded him of some of his more vengeful ex-girlfriends, the ones who figured that it was his fault that they broke up.

"Copycat," Draco called. "What are you doing here? Why are you even helping?"

Jawz himself knew. He has foreseen her identity sometime in the future. Despite her other faults, Copycat loved her mother very much and would do anything for her. Finding that Mirage and Façade were the ones who kidnapped her just put large targets on their backs.

"You don't need to know," Copycat grumbled. She then turned to leave despite what Draco tried to do to catch her attention. "Sayonara," Copycat waved before she slipped through one of the reflective steel surfaces of Helga's machine.

Draco nodded and whispered, "Arigatou," under his breath. He was grateful that she had come to help, even if it was unintentional.

"Uh…who was that?" asked Sam, clearly confused. All this was confusing.

"Trouble," Jawz replied. "Best remember to never mess with her. You probably won't win."

"Hey, guys!" Pluto called. He was still looking over the machine that he was working with. "I think I got them out. Should be safe now." He had examined the data and discovered that the ideas of the designers were saved inside. All he had to do was to upload them into the right minds.

"_Should_ be?" asked Draco. "My okaasan is attached to that thing!"

"Hey, I'm not the one who built this thing!" Pluto replied. "I can't be one hundred percent sure how this thing works."

As the Knights of the Dragon and the Dog were arguing, the numerous designers were beginning to wake up from their trance. Many of them began wondering where they were while other ones were deathly afraid, remembering the chameleon monsters which had taken them. Emiko blinked sleepy as she rubbed her eyes. She pondered where she was, remembering being in her studio, but the questions left her head when she spied the Knight donned in red.

"Ryuki-kun!" she suddenly squealed.

"Okaasan?" Draco asked suddenly at hearing her voice. As he turned to see if it was his mother, he was quickly engulfed in a hug by the happy mother.

"Oh, Ryuki-kun!" she cried. "You and your friends helped save me, didn't you?" She was so proud of her heroic son.

"Ano…hai," Draco nodded. His mother had a tendency to become too overly emotional at these times, causing great embarrassment for himself in the process. She was a very expressive woman.

"Oooh! I'm so proud of you!" Emiko squealed as she continued to hug her son.

"Okasaan!" Draco cried. "I'm working!" Even though nobody could see his face under that helmet, he was still blushing in embarrassment as his mother hugged him.

* * *

"Good work, all of you," Jerry smiled as he debriefed the Spies and Riders. After the designers were proven to be healthy, Sam called in WOOHP. "The designers are being flown back home as we speak."

"Well that's good," Clover smiled. "If only Helga's brand was left then I'd gladly take social exile." Clover had originally gushed over the designers they'd saved, hoping they would be so grateful that they would hire her as a model or something. It would've been a dream come true for her.

"Well, no worries about that," Jerry nodded. "Helga's being taken into custody as we speak. Now, what about those two mercenaries you mentioned?"

"Mirage and Façade?" asked Tazuka. "Didn't you pick them up?"

"No," Jerry blinked. "It was only you all and Helga when I got here. I assumed you were holding them elsewhere."

"But if you guys didn't get them…" Takada blinked. His eyes then widened and he turned to where the twin Chameleon Knights had been laying on the ground, assumingly out cold. All that remained were two sets of inhuman tracks which led to a shiny surface of Helga's machine. "Oh, snakeface is gonna kill us," the Dog Knight groaned. Mirage and Façade must've escaped with the aid of their Biomeleons.

"Well," Ryuki sighed. "At least we saved all the designers." Ryuki then led his mother over to the girls. "Okaasan, I'd like you to meet Alex-chan, Sam-san and Clover san," he introduced. Emiko noticed the 'chan' suffix being used when he said Alex's name and immediately knew that her son had taken a liking towards the girl. The girl seemed to freeze a bit. They were standing in front of one of the most famous designers in the world.

"Thank you, girls," Emiko said as she bowed, "For rescuing me and the others."

"Hey, it's what we do," Alex said, feeling slightly nervous. She really liked Ryuki and meeting the parent of the boy she liked was a pretty big step when it came to relationships.

"For that, I wish to repay you," Emiko said. Ryuki could see the gleam in her eyes. He knew it all too well.


	8. Epilogue: Ball

Beverly Hills High Gymnasium…

The Autumn Ball was in full swing. Lights were illuminating the decorations of red, orange, and yellow. It was a formal dance so everyone was either in a suit or some kind of dress. It was a wonderful party with all sorts of dresses and jewelry being worn by all the girls and had them sparkling in the light.

Of course, the girls who were scoring most in style were Mandy, Caitlin, and Dominique. They had worked together and were dressed in slim spaghetti-strap dresses which accented their figures perfectly and had lots of guys drooling over them. They were beautiful and they knew it. They also enjoyed rubbing into the faces of all the other girls there.

"Girls, I think we can safely say we rule this party," Mandy smiled. Her two minions giggled in agreement.

As they were talking, there was a sudden series of gasps and wolf whistles coming from the entrance of the gymnasium where the ball was being held. The noises reached Mandy and her crew. The girl could tell when something important was happening and she was instantly heading for the source. As she managed to squeeze through some of the gawkers, her own eyes widened in shock.

Coming into the gym were her three enemies. Each of them was donned in gorgeous dresses which were composed of a certain color. Sam was in green, Alex in yellow, and Clover in red. Each dress was completely unique and Mandy was sure she would have seen them in a store.

With each of the girls was their dates. Tazuka was arm in arm with Sam. His suit was tinted blue and had his Pisces symbol on the breast pocket. Ryuki was practically glued at the hip with Alex in his red tinted suit and Dragon symbol. Finally, Takada could be seen whispering something into Clover's ear, making her giggle. His navy blue tinted suit and Dog symbol made him look dashing.

"No way!" Mandy cried as she stomped forward. She eyed the dresses enviously and could easily recognize the style. "There is no way these forgeries can be this nice! There's no way!"

"Forgeries?" asked Clover smugly. "What do you mean?"

"These rags you call dresses!" Mandy snapped. "They may look like a Narukawa design, but I know for a fact that her next set of designs aren't due for months!"

"Oh, so you're familiar with my mother's work?" Ryuki asked politely.

Mandy instantly stiffened at Ryuki's words. She slowly looked at Ryuki, along with every other fashion knowledgeable girl in the room.

"Ryuki's mother was trying to find some subjects for her Prom Seasons designs," Tazuka smirked, loving the look on Mandy's face. "Ryuki mentioned that Alex, Clover, and Sam had a ball coming up."

"Next thing we know," Takada added. "She's personally giving the dresses to the girls."

"She told us we get to keep them too!" Alex smiled brightly while she hugged Ryuki's arm. "She is so cool."

Mandy sputtered, unable to say anything as her face turned red. She was fuming mad and completely jealous of her enemies. She gave a snort and walked away, followed by her two cronies.

"Yes!" Clover cheered, "We so rule!" As luck would have it Clover was going to enjoy this entire night thanks to their new dresses.

"Hey, this is a dance, right?" Takada asked. "Let's dance!"

"OK," Clover giggled as Takada took her to the dance floor.

"Shall we?" Tazuka asked, taking Sam's hand.

"But of course," Sam winked before her date whisked her away to dance.

Alex and Ryuki were the only left as they stood nervously. His mother had questioned him about Alex and well it hadn't been very comfortable. He had gone completely speechless and blushing mad when he first saw Alex in that dress. It looked really nice on her. He could have done without his mother taking photos of all of them together though. That had been really embarrassing.

He knew he liked her, but his last relationship hadn't gone so well. How could it when he'd been forced to erase her memory? Alex was a secret agent, not unlike himself, and he knew she could be trusted.

The girls had also grilled the boys of information and the three of them had come clean about the armors, minus the mention of the Zodiac War and the other Knights. They just gave the girls enough info that would satisfy them. Their boss, Ichijyo, would be absolutely livid if they ever revealed too much and an angry Ichijyo was a _really_ scary thought.

Now, Ryuki was really nervous. He had yet to ask Alex to dance. His eyes wandered and he could see Caitlin coming at him. He really didn't want to dance with her! So, thinking and moving quickly, he grabbed Alex around her waist. Alex gasped and then smiled up to Ryuki, who managed to blush. She was doing a bit of blushing herself.

"Do you…ano…want to dance?" he asked her.

"Sure," Alex smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck as he slowly led her to the dance floor.

Takada and Tazuka could only watch in amusement as Alex and Ryuki danced together. They weren't completely blind and could see that both the Yellow Spy and Dragon Rider had chemistry. The Red and Green Spies could see it too as they danced with the Dog and Shark Rider, respectively.

Ryuki's eyes gazed down into Alex's softly as he rested his forehead on hers. Alex just sighed. He was just so warm.

Mandy was in the corner, watching with livid frustration as her worst enemies in the entire school were enjoying the dance. This was supposed to be her night! Hers! Not theirs! If it weren't for those dresses!!!

Alex and Ryuki continued to dance. He knew that he couldn't have a stable relationship. His life was full of danger. However, unlike Caitlin (the one he met in Canada), Alex was no stranger to danger. She was a Spy for WOOHP and he was an Operative for Smart Brain. Even Yaminekoryu could tell they were a good match.

Ryuki then decided to just go for it and closed the gap between his face and Alex's. She let out a gasp and then a sigh as she closed her eyes. Inwardly, she reveled in the warm sensations that Ryuki's touch was instilling in her.

'_I could stay like this all night,_' she sighed dreamily in her thoughts.

Clover and Sam cheered for their friend. The night was good, and the future looked even better.

**THE END**

How was that? I'd like to thank Ten Faced Paladin for his creative touch and adding in stuff when I was stuck. Also, I would like to thank all my reviewers. You guys rock!


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